Welcome back to Subject spotlight, the blog series where we give you quarterly data-driven insights into a specific corner of the Canadian book market. In our previous post, we shared sales and library circulation data for the Fiction / Science Fiction BISAC subject.
This time, in light of International Women’s Day, we’re shining the light on subcategories related to women under both fiction and non-fiction.
How did these titles perform during the fourth quarter of 2025? We find out with the help of our SalesData and LibraryData services.
Buying Fiction / Women
As shown in the graph below, year-over-year sales of Fiction / Women titles were down 19% in October and 23% in November and December.
In 2024, sales decreased by 6% from October to November, before going up in December by a noteworthy 52%.
Following a similar trend, in 2025, sales were down 2% from October to November, followed by an increase of 53% from November to December.
Overall, the sales of Fiction / Women titles increased by 49% and 42% in the fourth quarters of 2024 and 2025, respectively.
Buying subcategories related to Women in Non-Fiction
Alongside Fiction, we decided to look at all subcategories under Non-Fiction that might relate to women in order to get a more expansive look at things. Of all such subcategories, the top performing BISAC subcategory across sales, loans and renewals was Non-Fiction / Biography & Autobiography / Women.
In the graph below, we can see a year-over-year sales of these titles were down by 19% in October, before a sharp increase of 92% in November, and by 67% in December.
In 2024, sales decreased by 37% from October to November, and increased in December by 104%.
In 2025, sales were up 51% from October to November, and by 77% from November to December.
Overall, the sales of Non-Fiction / Biography & Autobiography / Women titles increased by 29% and 168% in the fourth quarters of 2024 and 2025, respectivel
The BISAC subcategories with the highest year-over-year increases in sales:
Non-Fiction / Sports & Recreation / Women in Sports — up 320%
Non-Fiction / Drama / Women Authors — up 192%
Non-Fiction / Biography & Autobiography / Women — up 43%
Non-Fiction / Literary Collections / Women Authors — up 33%
Juvenile / Juvenile Nonfiction / Girls & Women — up 31%
Borrowing Fiction / Women
Year-over-year, Fiction / Women loans increased by 7% in October, 1% in November and December. Overall loans decreased by 28% in the fourth quarter of 2024 and by 32% in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Year-over-year renewals increased by 21% in October, 20% in November, and 16% in December. Overall, renewals decreased by 12% in the fourth quarter of 2024 and by 30% in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Borrowing subcategories related to Women in Non-Fiction
Just as for sales, the top performing BISAC subcategory in Non-Fiction across loans and renewals was Non-Fiction / Biography & Autobiography / Women.
Year-over-year, this subcategory increased by 11% in October, by 1% November and decreased by 4% in December. Overall loans decreased by 24% in the fourth quarter of 2024 and by 37% in the fourth quarter of 2025
Year-over-year renewals for this subcategory increased by 29% in October, and by 2% in November and December. Overall, renewals decreased by 12% in the fourth quarter of 2024 and decreased by 30% in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Reading Fiction / Women
Top selling
Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Never Say Never by Danielle Steel
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
Regretting You by Colleen Hoover
Top borrowed
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
The Women by Kristin Hannah
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware
Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall
Reading Women in Non-Fiction
Top selling
The Lookby Michelle Obama, Koop, Meredith; Griffin, Farah Jasmine
The Art Spy by Michelle Young
Educated by Tara Westover
The Wind Has Robbed the Legs off a Madwoman by Agnes Walsh 🍁
The Complete Girl's Guide to Growing Up by Abby Swift
Top borrowed
The Look by Michelle Obama, Meredith Koop, Farah Jasmine Griffin
Know My Name by Chanel Miller
The Art Spy by Michelle Young
Eat Like a Girl by Mindy Pelz
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
Stay tuned for future instalments of this series or sign up to our eNews for more digestible data on the Canadian book market.
Until next time!
Sales and library circulation data of Women Fiction and Non-Fiction titles during the the fourth quarter of 2025.