Book sales 'going brilliantly' as booksellers rally for last days of Christmas trading

Booksellers are predicting a bumper end to 2018 as the week before Christmas sees strong sales, with Waterstones “sitting very handily”, according to c.e.o. James Daunt, though he warned snow could yet "unravel" a successful month. 

Last year saw sales hit by snow in mid-December and a lack of standout titles luring non-traditional book buyers into stores. 

But a strong festive offering from publishers this year has seen Michelle Obama’s Becoming (Viking) beat David Walliams’ The Ice Monster (HarperCollins) for Christmas number one in a battle that tempted non-traditional book buyers into shops to bolster sales. 

The former First Lady’s memoir sold 91,882 copies for £1.36m, posting the largest volume for a Christmas number one since Alex Ferguson's My Autobiography (Hodder) five years ago.

Obama's number one came during a stunning week for the print market, which sold 8.1 million books for £73.2m—up 3% in value and 1% in volume against the same week in 2017.

Waterstones c.e.o. James Daunt told The Bookseller: “This year is very good. We got a really good array of solid publishing across the board with enough really big books and obviously the Michelle Obama which has brought non-core book buyers into bookshops who then buy other books. It’s a much stronger offering this year which is why sales are up for everybody.” 

The print book market has seen its best year since 2011 in terms of value as the biggest UK seller of the year - Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine - shifts more than 800,000 copies. The latest Nielsen BookScan figures show sales for the year to December 1 are 1.3% up on a year before at £1.3bn. 

Blackwell’s sales and marketing director Dean Drew said: “We have had a good start to Christmas with overall December sales so far around 2% up on last year. Larger shops are trading at a similar level as last year with footfall slightly down. Blackwells.co.uk continues to grow. Although there are no stellar names like last year, all categories are doing well.  

“The Michelle Obama and Stephen Hawking books are helping drive customers into bookshops. There are lots of really interesting titles that have helped the different shops curate opportunities to select unique and interesting titles and themes to recommend to our customers - this has helped improve average spend. We have more events and activities in shops than previous years and this has helped maintain footfall.”

Nic Bottomley of Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights in Bath and president of the Booksellers Association said staff at his shop have been “flat out” as Christmas shoppers stream through the doors. 

He said: “Sales are going brilliantly so far, particularly so since the end of Bath’s Christmas market which frees up the city slightly and brings all of our regular customers flooding in.”

Richard Drake, owner of independent Drake - The Bookshop in Stockton, said: “We have been quite lucky the weather has not been as bad as elsewhere and we are having a stellar Christmas. Already up on last year's December by last Monday!

“We have sold some of lots of books rather than anything in particular. How Winston Delivered Christmas by Alex T Smith sold well in the lead up to December and since then John Cooper Clarke and The OS Quiz Book. However we are very proud that local author Glen James Brown's Ironopolis (set in Middlesborough) has sold really well.” 

With just days of Christmas trading to go, Daunt says weather permitting he is optimistic for good sales. 

Daunt said: “We’re pretty clear about what’s happening to sales and book sales have been pretty good this calendar year and touch wood as long as the weather doesn’t throw anything at us December will be very good but it winds up so aggressively at this time of year. 

“Every day of the month is a huge increase on the day before and you only have to have a few days go wrong in your final week and your whole month is [affected]… We are sitting very handily at the moment, it could unravel if some snow falls in at the wrong time. With publishing figures, there’s absolutely no reason that we’re not going to have a very good time."

Marie Moser of the Edinburgh Bookshop said, come rain or shine, books have been “flying” off the shelves this Christmas period, with the shop currently tracking a 10% gain on last year. Obama’s memoir has been a particular hit for the indie alongside Man Booker winner Anna Burns’ Milkman, Stephen Hawking and local author Ian Rankin, plus festive staples such as the Private Eye annual. 

“We went past last year’s total last Wednesday; we are flying!” said Moser. "It hasn’t stopped and we can’t complain. Generally I hear Scottish booksellers are having a great Christmas. We live in Scotland and there are always going to be bouts of bad weather; the only thing we’re noticing is that publishers are running stock tighter … I wonder if they’re just being really cautious because of the Brexit nonsense."

The Bookseller is asking independent bookshops to take a few moments to fill out our annual Christmas trading survey here.