Book sales in May 2024 were higher than the same period in May 2023, partly due to a sharp increase in the adult fiction market. Copies sold increased by 3 million, thanks to demand for books by authors such as Stephen King and Kristin Hannah. Despite an increase in sales of Julia Quinn’s books, thanks to the release of the next season of Netflix Bridgertonher books did not make it into the top ten best-selling books in May.
Circana, a consumer behavior consultant, compiled the most popular print adult books published in May 2023 in its monthly report. Below are the ten titles that dominated adult sales across all genres last month and how many copies were sold. Circana includes young adults in its adult counts, which is reflected.
As you can see, thrillers and romance novels were the most popular genres. Paperbacks were also a big seller, with half of the titles listed below costing less than $20.
- The Women of 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 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 the titles we see on the weekly bestseller lists, in part because each publisher measures sales slightly differently. Circana’s data comes from BookScan and represents sales of physical copies.
In the children’s market, work and learning books topped the list, but there were also long-sellers 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 True 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 the Jumbo Preschool Workbook (36,886)
- Taylor Swift: A Little Golden Book Biography by Wendy Loggia (32,843)
It’s no great surprise that most of the books are by white authors, who continue to dominate sales despite ongoing debate and calls for more diversity. For the books on these two lists, name or brand recognition is a key factor in their sales.
So far in 2024, 300 million print books have been sold, representing a slight decline in sales compared to the same period last year.
