Kobo has released their annual Book Report, revealing notable reading habits that dominated 2022. This report is primarily geared toward Canadian users, however the book and authors are applicable to any English speaking market. 2022 was an enormous yr for books, with Canadians reading for the equivalent of nearly 8,000 years. That’s a slight seven per cent dip from last yr, comprehensible given relative freedom from lockdowns and an easing of pandemic restrictions.
Relating to the times of day individuals are logging essentially the most reading time, that varied depending on what a part of the country you reside in:
• Montreal, Edmonton and Winnipeg read most within the afternoon
• Toronto and Ottawa turn their pages after dinner
• Vancouver, Calgary and Regina readers hit the books before bed
“The last couple of years have been a wild ride for each readers and booksellers. In 2022, COVID restrictions eased, readers were capable of leave the home, and Kobo –as a world digital bookseller –has witnessed some interesting shifts and trends in reading behavior’s all over the world,” said Michael Tamblyn, CEO, Rakuten Kobo. “Relating to our Canadian readers, we proceed to see a love for local and Canadian authors and stories, a growing interesting self-published authors, a resurgence in travel-related reading and a bittersweet nostalgic trend for reading concerning the monarchy following the passing of the Queen. We’re excited to see what plot twists 2023 has in store.”
Restrictions relaxed and Canadians got the travel bug: With COVID restrictions easing, Kobo saw a change in how Canadians read. While books were still a favourite pastime, there was a renewed interest in certain genres that had dipped drastically during prolonged lockdowns. Most notably, Canadians were keen to dive back into travel related books, with an over 67 per cent rise in sales in comparison with the previous yr. The preferred destinations amongst Canadian readers were Italy, Spain, Portugal and France. After two years of lockdown Canadians had trip-planning on the brain, with books on museums, tours and native landmarks increasing 224 per cent since 2021.
Saying “farewell” to Queen Elizabeth II had people turning pages concerning the monarchy: Following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, Kobo users flocked to books concerning the royal family. In September, books concerning the monarchy spiked globally 2,065 per cent year-over-year. Canada was probably the most nostalgic countries, with reading concerning the queen increasing 1,548 per cent versus 2021. The preferred titles centered around Queen Elizabeth II herself, particularly her wit and steadfast dedication to duty. Karen Dolby’s The Wicked Wit of Queen Elizabeth II, Marc Roche’s Elizabeth II: Une Vie, un Règne and Ben Pimlott’s The Queen: Elizabeth II and the Monarchy were amongst essentially the most read by Kobo readers.
BookTok is driving reading trends: TikTok continues to take the publishing industry by storm, with recommendations from BookTok influencers on the social media platform driving reading trends in Canada. Interestingly, the books shared transcend the most recent round of latest releases and dig into the backlist, exposing a second wave of readers to older titles. The preferred trending writer Kobo saw by far was Colleen Hoover, with year-over-year sales of her books It Ends With Us, Verity, Ugly Love and November 9 increasing between 305 to 456 per cent. Starting as a self-published writer, Hoover’s books have been propelled into the highlight and onto the bestseller list years after their release by voracious fans on social media, highlighting how drastically the industry is changing. Hoover is a book world phenomenon and currently outsells the Bible, Dr. Seuss, and James Patterson and John Grisham combined in accordance with the Recent York Times. Other TikTok trending books amongst Kobo users include:
- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor Jenkins Reid sales grew 211 per cent
- Atomic Habits, James Clear sales grew 5,971 per cent
- A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, Holly Jackson sales grew 155 per cent
- It Happened One Summer, Tessa Bailey sales grew 288 per cent
Books adapted into TV shows and films seeing a second wave of readers: The trend of streaming to reading continued this yr, with TV series and movie adaptations introducing a recent audience to older books. Following the discharge of a book adaptation, the title sees a flood of latest readers as people take the story from the massive screen to the book page. The standout success of the yr is Heartstopper by Alice Oseman. Following the discharge of Netflix’s viral Heartstopper adaptation, sales of the graphic novel grew over 1,700 per cent year-over-year. But Oseman’s book isn’t alone –listed below are another adapted books that saw a mass of latest readers this yr:
- Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens sales increased 485 per cent
- Bullet Train, Kotaro Isaka sales increased 341 per cent
- Conversations with Friends, Sally Rooney sales increased 252 per cent
- Anatomy of a Scandal, Sarah Vaughan sales increased 192 per cent
Kobo Writing Life celebrates its tenth birthday: Kobo’s self-publishing platform, Kobo Writing Life (KWL), celebrated its tenth anniversary this yr. Since its inception in 2012, KWL has helped independent authors reach audiences globally through Kobo’s digital bookstore. Self-publishing has drastically grown in popularity over the past decade and represents one in all the most important publishers in Kobo’s catalogue. In lots of English-speaking markets, one in five books sold by Kobo is a KWL title and one in 4 self-published generally. “Through KWL, we’re able to offer voice to authors who may not have made it through the gatekeepers of traditional publishing houses,” said Michael Tamblyn, CEO, Rakuten Kobo. “But once they reach Kobo’s community of readers, they find recent audiences everywhere in the world. Having a robust self-publishing catalogue for readers who read broadly, across a variety of genres, and having the ability to help writers reach recent audiences globally are points of pride for us.”
Kobo Plus subscription expands offering by adding audiobooks in Canada: While the Kobo Plus all-you-can-read eBook subscription for just $9.99 per 30 days has been in Canada since 2020, today the service expanded to audiobooks and now features read, listen, and skim and listen options. “With Canadians out of the home and on-the-move, we’re excited to expand the Kobo Plus subscription offering to incorporate audiobooks so Kobo users can fit reading into more places and more moments throughout their day,” said Bart Robers, Director, Audiobook and Subscription, Rakuten Kobo. “We all know life is busy, but there’s at all times time for reading. Whether you’re cleansing the home, walking to the office or standing in line at airport security, Canadians can now enjoy unlimited reading and listening for a low monthly fee.”
The catalogue includes contemporary fiction by beloved authors including Ian McEwan, Elena Ferrante, Alice Hoffman and Cherie Dimaline; classic mysteries from M. C. Beaton, Patricia Highsmith and Elizabeth Peters; self-help bestsellers from Gary Chapman, Stephen Covey and Deepak Chopra, and plenty of more. While Kobo Plus subscribers enjoy limitless reading and listening, authors included within the catalogue see a variety of advantages as well. Typically, following the launch of a book, revenue tends to say no with age as recent releases hit the shelves –but inclusion within the Kobo Plus subscription continues to drive the revenue of a book because it’s discovered by recent readers within the service, generating sales for an extended time period with no decline in individual eBook or audiobook sales. Readers are also willing to try more recent authors and skim more widely across each recent releases and backlist, as all-you-can-read removes the chance of trying something recent.
Canada’s top 10 bestselling books of 2022: Whether it’s trending fiction titles, the most recent popular romance or essentially the most talked about thriller book, this yr Canadian readers were craving female voices, with the entire top 10 bestselling books of the yr authored by female writers. Listed below are the highest books in Canada this yr:
1. Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens
2. Verity, Colleen Hoover
3. It Ends With Us, Colleen Hoover
4. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor Jenkins Reid
5. The Maid, Nita Prose
6. Abandoned in Death, J. D. Robb
7. Five Little Indians, Michelle Good
8. The Diamond Eye, Kate Quinn
9. State of Terror, Louise Penny and Hillary Rodham Clinton
10. Book Lovers, Emily Henry
Michael Kozlowski has been writing about audiobooks and e-readers for the past twelve years. His articles have been picked up by major and native news sources and web sites corresponding to the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the Recent York Times. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.