Unit sales of print books fell 4% in 2017 compared to 2016 in Canada, while dollar sales dropped 3%, according to figures compiled by BookNet Canada’s sales tracking service.
BookNet reported that the Canadian book industry sold approximately 51.5 million copies in 2017, for just over C$1 billion. Figures are based on a group of retailers that provide sales data to BookNet annually and account for about 85% of print sales.
The juvenile market had the largest share of units sold last year, 40%, compared to 38% in 2016. The nonfiction segment captured 32% of units, down from 33% a year ago, while the fiction category’s share inched up to 27% of units sold from 26% in 2016.
The biggest selling print book in Canada last year was The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson, followed by The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur,Origin by Dan Brown,The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware, and Milk and Honey also by Kaur.
As in the U.S., backlist books did well last year, with The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck and Milk and Honey having been released prior to 2017. Last year, 60% of all print book sales were for backlist books, which was up 2% over 2016, BookNet reported.
