In a week that has seen Joe Abercrombie deliver his best sales to date, it seems he owes some of this success to indie bookshops as he finds his latest offering The Devils (Gollancz) at the top of the Independent Bookshop chart, according to the latest data from NielsenIQ BookScan.
While sales for the independent bookshops are not disclosed by NielsenIQ, they do reveal the average selling prices, and Abercrombie has achieved his number one slot with an average selling price (ASP) just a couple of pennies short of the book’s £25 recommended retail price (RRP), proving that even in the leanest of times, passionate readers will pay full price for books.
Jo Zebedee from The Secret Bookshelf in Carrickfergus said of Abercrombie’s latest title: “The Devils has been a hit with us, with several customer orders picked up this week. One reason is the love for Joe Abercrombie’s books, and the wait for a new title and exciting world has heightened the excitement. A great cover hasn’t harmed sales either.
“Many years ago, my first convention as an author was with Joe as a guest of honour, and his generosity to others – as a moderator he ensured the panellists had more chance to talk than himself – and genuine warmth to his fans woke the room up. His thoughtfulness in choosing the ‘right’ reading for his audience, his delivery and humour, were an inspiration to see. In terms of traditional fantasy – including grimdark – the market is struggling, squeezed by the romantasy market which has lighter world-building and more emphasis on character relations and, of course, romance elements. So it is terrific to see a traditional fantasy excel – and, hopefully, revitalise the wider fantasy genre.”
Second place sees a surprise re-entry for Aminatta Forna’s Happiness (Bloomsbury), which has returned to the charts, some six years after first being published. It has sold 2,606 copies in the TCM in the past seven days – up 25,960% on the previous week – which accounts for a quarter of its lifetime sales.
Like the wider TCM, the Independent Bookshop chart is dominated by new releases with 10 new titles taking slots in the Top 20. The highest new fiction release for indie bookshops is Florence Knapp’s debut The Names (Phoenix) taking the third slot, just behind Forna and placed ahead of last week’s indie number one, Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane (Hamish Hamilton).
Rounding off the Top 5 for the Independent Bookshop chart is the highest new children’s book of the week, Neill Cameron’s new graphic novel Donut Squad: Take Over the World, from the publishers behind Jamie Smart’s bestselling Bunny vs Monkey series, DFB Phoenix.
The TCM number one – We Solve Murders by Richard Osman (Penguin) – can only make it to position 13 in the Independent Bookshop chart, with an ASP just shy of full RRP, compared to nearly half price in total across the UK.
The full Independent Bookshop Top 20 can be found on The Bookseller’s bestseller pages.
