Recently, as part of our annual Tech Forum session on trends, BookNet Canada’s SalesData & LibraryData team, Lily Dwyer and Kalpna Patel gave us an in depth presentation on the genres that have been doing well over the last year and the ones that might indicate we should look out for them moving forward.
Below are a few of the many key takeaways from the session!
Takeaway #1: Buy Canadian movement
One of the first things we wanted to check in on was the Buy Canadian movement. This movement first kicked off in March of 2025 in response to American tariffs and we wanted to measure its impact on the book world. To do so, we tracked the sales of books by Canadian contributors over 2024 and 2025. In the graph below, we can see the sales pick up as of April 2025.
Key highlights:
Overall, the sales of Canadian titles were up 6% over 2024 and made up 13% of total sales for 2025.
Every Salad Ever by Greta Podleski was the top selling title by a Canadian contributor.
The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny was the top borrowed title by a Canadian contributor.
For more information on how Canadian titles performed into 2026, watch the session!
Takeaway #2: Romance
Aside from the Heated Rivalry frenzy, what has been happening in romance?
The graph below shows that the unit sales of romance titles in 2025 peaked in Q1, declined in Q2 and Q3, and then increased again at Q4. In 2026 so far, sales seem to be on the decline again. However, while the share of romance sales as a percentage of the total market decreased throughout 2025, it has increased for Q1 of 2026. In this quarter, while romance sales are down in general, the quarterly share of romance sales as a percentage is up, making up about 9% of total sales.
Key highlights:
Sales of holiday romance subcategories have increased by 81%.
Four new seasonal subcategories outside of holiday romance have been added.
Books categorized with the Dark Romance BISAC code grew by over 100,000% in 2025, with Bonds of Hercules by Jasmine Mas being the top-selling title.
Mafia romance grew by over 1,000% with the top-performing title being Ruthless Creatures by J.T. Geissinger.
Romance / Science Fiction was up 236% with Silver Elite by Dani Francis leading in popularity.
In the session, you’ll learn more about the effect Heated Rivalry had on sales numbers, romance subcategories that experienced growth, changes to BISAC codes, and the titles in this genre worth noting.
Takeaway #3: Science Fiction
Sales of Science Fiction titles in general have been steadily increasing over the last three years, and were up 14% over 2024 with the Science Fiction category making up 3% of total Fiction sales for the year.
Key highlights:
Sales in the Action and Adventure subcategory increased 111%.
Sales in the Apocalyptic and Post-Apocalyptic subcategory increased by 42% over 2024.
Young Adult Science Fiction saw an increase last year with sales up by 17%.
The session covers what titles drove sales for these subcategories and an overall glimpse of where Science Fiction stands as a genre among library patrons and Canadian buyers.
Takeaway #4: Fantasy
In 2025 alone, books with Fiction / Fantasy BISAC codes accounted for about 13% of all Fiction sales, and in terms of growth, sales for these books increased by 8%.
Key highlights:
The Dark Fantasy subcategory saw significant growth, increasing by 94%.
Historical Fantasy has also seen increases this year, with 66% growth in 2025.
Cosy Fantasy books continued their growth in 2025 by 37%.
Learn more about popular titles in these subcategories in the session.
Takeaway #5: Comics and Graphic Novels
In 2025 sales for titles in the Comics and Graphic Novels category increased, seeing a bump of 5%. The first increase since 2022.
Key highlights:
The top-selling title in the Comics & Graphic Novels category in 2025 was Always Remember by Charlie Mackesy, which uses the Comics & Graphic Novels / Literary BISAC code.
The top borrowed titles in libraries were the Demon Slayer manga series.
Sales for books with the Comics & Graphic Novels / Literary BISAC code increased significantly in 2025 by 88%.
Manga BISAC codes made up about 67% of all sales in the Comic & Graphic novel category.
Books with the Superheroes BISAC code made up 36% of all sales in the Comic & Graphic novel category.
For a more comprehensive analysis of trends to note in the Canadian book industry, watch Trendspotting: Book subjects on the move in the Canadian market. And to learn even more about Canadian reading and borrowing behaviour in 2025, purchase your copy of The Canadian Book Market 2025.
In addition to this report, we will be releasing two additional reports on consumer data this spring: the Canadian Leisure and Reading Study 2025 and the Canadian Book Consumer Study 2025. If you want to be among the first to get notified about these releases, sign up for our weekly newsletter!
What’s been trending in the Canadian publishing industry?