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Book sales in May 2024 were up over the same time in May 2023, thanks in part to a large increase in the adult fiction print market. Unit sales increased by 3 million, thanks to demand for books by authors like Stephen King and Kristin Hannah. Despite a bump in sales for Julia Quinn books, thanks to Netflix’s release of the next season of Bridgerton, her books did not make the top ten in sales for May.
Circana, an advisor on consumer behavior, compiled the most popular print books published for adults in May 2023 in their monthly report. Find below the ten titles that dominated sales in the adult arena across genres last month and how many units sold. Circana includes young adults in their adult counts, which is reflected.
As you’ll see, thrillers and romance were the top genres readers were scooping up. Paperbacks were also big sellers, as half of the titles below had a price point at under $20.
- The Women by Kristin Hannah (139,096)
- You Like It Darker by Stephen King (127,248)
- Funny Story by Emily Henry (115,367)
- A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (111,159)
- This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune (102,263)
- Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez (91,821)
- The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson (84,465)
- The Housemaid by Freida McFadden (77,535)
- The 24th Hour: Is This The End? by James Patterson (75,871)
- If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin (75,615)
Some of the titles on this list differ from what we see in the weekly bestseller lists, in part because every outlet measures sales a bit differently. Circana’s data is from BookScan and represents sales of physical copies.
In the children’s market, workbooks and study aids topped the list, though so, too, did standby classics and those with seasonal appeal.
- Oh The Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss (196,302)
- Dog Man: The Scarlet Shedder by Dav Pilkey (117,488)
- The One and Only Family by Katherine Applegate (44,203)
- The Night Before Kindergarten by Natasha Wing (43,605)
- Bluey Big Backyard: A Coloring Book (40,117)
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin board book edition (38,535)
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle board book edition (37,613)
- Bluey Fun and Games: A Coloring Book (37,388)
- Get Ready For Pre-K Jumbo Workbook (36,886)
- Taylor Swift: A Little Golden Book Biography by Wendy Loggia (32,843)
It’s of little surprise that the bulk of books are by white authors who, despite continued conversations and demand for more diversity, still dominate sales. In the case of the books on these two lists, name/brand recognition is a key factor in their sales.
So far, 300 million print books have been sold in 2024, representing a slight decrease of in sales year-to-date in 2023.