Australian book sales have plateaued after a record year in 2022, with the post-Covid boom showing signs of subsiding.
Nielsen BookScan has found that in this year to date, revenue in the Australian book market declined by 3% compared with the same time last year.
But the consumer research and retail sales analyst believes this could be an overcorrection as readers get back to normal after significant year-on-year growth since the pandemic hit.
“2022 set new records, highlighting the enduring appeal of books as a source of joy and inspiration, particularly resilient in challenging economic conditions,” the general manager of Nielsen BookData Australia, Bianca Whiteley, said.
“Although 2023 shows a modest adjustment, sales remain notably elevated compared to pre-pandemic levels, emphasising the enduring popularity of books.”
In the four weeks leading up to the week of Christmas, books sales typically surge by 100% (from 7% over a four week period to 14%).
Last week alone people bought 143,113 different book titles, with the fifth volume of Alice Oseman’s graphic novel Heartstopper becoming the number one Christmas bestseller, the first time in three years the spot has not been taken by an Australian author.
Last week the British writer and illustrator sold 60,012 copies of the coming of age work in its first three days of release, making it the UK’s fastest-selling graphic novel ever and the overall bestselling book of the week across all categories, including adult and children’s fiction and nonfiction.
In Australia, Heartstopper Volume 5 sold 12,300 copies last week, taking the Australian total for copies of the series sold to almost 390,000 since 2019.
Lola in the Mirror, the third novel by Trent Dalton, came in second place with 9,780 copies sold, while the third-highest bestseller was the 28th instalment in the crime thriller Jack Reacher series, The Secret.
Jack Reacher has become something of a franchise since the creator of the eponymous protagonist, Lee Child, announced his retirement three years ago and passed the pen to his brother, Andrew Grant, who is now writing under the pseudonym Andrew Child.
Last year’s bestseller, the Australian cookbook by Nagi Maehashi, RecipeTin Eats: Dinner, which was also named book of the year in the 2022 Australian Book Industry Awards, continues to sell thousands of copies more than a year after its release. It was the fourth bestseller.
Despite the overall slight drop in revenue for 2023, adult fiction recorded a 4% increase uplift in value, meaning an additional 230,000 books in that genre were sold compared with last year.
In October this year, the multinational market analyst RationalStat predicted demand for Australian-authored books, now growing at a rate of 1.8% a year, would be worth US$ 968.9m by 2030.
