Welcome back to Subject Spotlight, your go-to source for quarterly data-driven insights into the performance of particular subjects in the Canadian book market.
Previously, we looked at the sales and library circulation of Fiction / Feminist books. In this instalment, we shine the spotlight on Non-Fiction / Nature titles. How did these titles perform during the fourth quarter of 2023? We find out with the help of our SalesData and LibraryData services.
Buying Non-Fiction / Nature
Compared to 2022, the overall sales of Non-Fiction / Nature titles were down 8% over the entire fourth quarter. Looking at the graph below, from October to December 2023 sales of Non-Fiction / Nature increased by 147%. Sales of Non-Fiction / Nature titles increased by 206% in the fourth quarter of 2022.
These are the BISAC subcategories with the highest year-over-year increase in sales:
Non-Fiction / Nature / Natural Disasters — up 2,202%
Non-Fiction / Nature / Natural Resources — up 145%
Non-Fiction / Nature / Animal Rights — up 68%
From October to December 2023, the most purchased Non-Fiction / Nature subcategories were:
Non-Fiction / Nature / Animals — 25% of all Non-Fiction / Nature sales
Non-Fiction / Nature / Plants — 14% of all Non-Fiction / Nature sales
Non-Fiction / Nature / Essays — 14% of all Non-Fiction / Nature sales
Borrowing Non-Fiction / Nature
From October to December 2023, library loans and renewals of Non-Fiction / Nature titles were up 6% and 3% respectively from 2022.
In the entire fourth quarter of 2023 loans decreased by 31%. Renewals for Non-Fiction / Nature titles from October to December 2023 were down by 31%. In the fourth quarter of 2022, loans increased by 41% from October to December and renewals were up by 57%.
Which Non-Fiction / Nature BISAC subcategories were the most popular in Canadian public libraries? From October to December 2023, these subcategories saw the greatest increases in library circulation compared to 2022:
Non-Fiction / Nature / Natural Resources — loans up 1,091% and renewals up 140%
Non-Fiction / Nature / Seasons — loans up 46% and renewals up 125%
Non-Fiction / Nature / Endangered Species — loans up 97% and renewals up 45%
During the fourth quarter of 2023, the most circulated Non-Fiction / Nature subcategories were:
Non-Fiction / Nature / Animals — 30% of all Non-Fiction / Nature loans and 28% of all Non-Fiction / Nature renewals;
Non-Fiction / Nature / Plants — 14% of all Non-Fiction / Nature loans and 20% of all Non-Fiction / Nature renewals
Non-Fiction / Nature / Environmental Conservation & Protection — 8% of all Non-Fiction / Nature loans and 9% of all Non-Fiction / Nature renewals
Reading Non-Fiction / Nature
Here are the top selling and top borrowed Non-Fiction / Nature titles from the fourth quarter of 2023.
Top borrowed
Fire Weather by John Vaillant 🍁
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard 🍁
An Immense World by Ed Yong
The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben, translated by Jane Billinghurst 🍁
Top selling
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Fire Weather by John Vaillant 🍁
An Immense World by Ed Yong
Edible and Medicinal Plants of Canada by Andy MacKinnon 🍁, Linda Kershaw 🍁, and John Arnason 🍁 (Out of stock)
The Summer Canada Burned by Monica Zurowski 🍁 & Postmedia 🍁
Until next time!
Stay tuned for future instalments of this series or sign up to our eNews for more digestible data on the Canadian book market.
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