Gains in all categories led to a 11.7% increase in unit sales of print books last week over the week ended November 14, 2020, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. It was the second consecutive week of double-digit sales increases compared to 2020 and, once again, the increase came without the benefit of a blockbuster new title.
Jeff Kinney’s Big Shot, the newest volume in his Wimpy Kid series, remained the week’s #1 seller, selling just over 112,000 copies and driving a 15% increase in the juvenile fiction category. The Christmas Pig by J.K. Rowling was second in the category, selling more than 39,000 copies.
The adult fiction category had another stellar week, with sales rising 25.6%. Mitch Albom’s The Stranger in the Lifeboat was #1, selling nearly 56,000 copies, while John Grisham’s The Judge’s List was second, selling almost 49,000 copies. Michael Connelly’s The Dark Hours was in third place on the category list, selling about 47,000 copies in its first week.
Adult nonfiction sales increased 5.6% over 2020, led by Will by Will Smith, which sold more than 86,000 copies in its first week on sale. David Graeber’s The Dawn of Everything sold over 25,000 copies in its first week, good enough for fourth place on the category bestseller list.
The young adult category had the biggest increase in the week with sales jumping 26.2%. Adam Silvera was back on top of the category list with his They Both Die at the End, selling over 10,000 copies.
