AwesomeBooks made more than £1m in sales in 2021

Circular economy bookseller AwesomeBooks made more than £1m in annual sales for the first time in 2021, with new book sales “significantly” contributing to the year-on-year uplift of over 150%.. 

In the fourth quarter new book sales were up by more than 300%, the bookseller said, adding that its data suggested that used books are aiding author discoverability by acting as a gateway to frontlist sales.  

Overall sales of new books were up 200% against the same period the previous year, and “bumper” January and February results suggest this elevated sales trend is set to continue with 2022 likely to become another record-breaking year, according to the bookseller. AwesomeBooks said children’s and teenage and commercial fiction drove the most sales across the list, with TikTok bestsellers dominating, and poetry, drama and criticism and crime, mystery and thrillers featuring as increasingly popular genres. 

AwesomeBooks’ model centres around reuse and keeping books in circulation for as long as possible, offering consumers the choice of new or used editions of bestselling books. It collects books destined for landfill and repurposes high quality copies by reselling them or donating them, to improve access to books and promote literacy. Any badly damaged books re-enter the circular economy as paper products which can be used to manufacture new books or packaging. Once read and enjoyed, AwesomeBooks offers to buy back new books via SellitBack.com, closing the loop. 

The bookseller said that increased sales results mean that in 2021, it rescued over five million books from landfill, saving over 4 million kilograms of carbon, 550 million litres of water and 33,000 trees.   

Simon Mackay, head of books, said: “After a record-breaking year at AwesomeBooks in 2021, I am really excited for the year ahead and grateful for the continued support of our customers from across the world. Buying a new or used book from us contributes to our circular model and supports our mission to make a positive impact with every book sold. It is gratifying to see that book buyers share our ideals as consumers strive to shop more sustainably. Supporting our model means we can do more for our planet and communities by reducing the environmental impact of book production, cutting the number of books that end up in landfill and donating pre-loved books to those in need.” 

In other news, a report by online bookseller Wob, showed that books are even more popular than fashion items with consumers who are buying or interested in buying pre-loved items. 

The research included findings from a survey of more than 4,000 consumers conducted by EY-Parthenon, and found that 54 million used books were sold online in the UK last year. Two key drivers behind the popularity of second-hand books were being kinder to the planet, and as a more budget friendly choice.