Faber reprints 55k copies of Demon Copperhead after Women’s Prize win

Faber has reprinted 55,000 copies of Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead after winning this year’s Women’s Prize. 

The publisher said it is “absolutely delighted" with the sales of the book, whose paperback sales have almost doubled since the win, and was "very grateful to the booksellers around the world who have supported the publication".

According to Nielsen BookScan’s UK Total Consumer Market, Demon Copperhead has sold a total of 53,342 copies in paperback in nine weeks, and around half of its total volume—26,627 copies—in just the last three. 

Sales of the book, which has been reprinted five times since May and twice since Kingsolver’s Women’s Prize win, jumped 109% in volume the week after the announcement, to 9,629 copies. The book has also sold 19,433 copies in hardback. 

“Our marketing campaign includes a major Tube, national press and extensive online advertising campaign,” Faber added, “as well as digital display advertising across premium media websites, a library campaign with the Reading Agency and influencer outreach among other activities".

Kingsolver was the first to win the prize twice, having previously been awarded the Women’s Prize for The Lacuna (Faber & Faber) in 2010. The announcement was made at an awards ceremony in Bedford Square Gardens, London, on 14th June, hosted by prize director Kate Mosse. Louise Minchin, this year’s chair of judges, awarded Kingsolver the £30,000 prize and the bronze figurine by Grizel Niven, known as the Bessie. 

Set in the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia, Demon Copperhead is a modern-day reimagining of Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield. 

Presenting the author with the prize, Minchin said of the book: “Brilliant and visceral, it is storytelling by an author at the top of her game. We were all deeply moved by Demon, his gentle optimism, resilience and determination despite everything being set against him. 

“An exposé of modern America, its opioid crisis and the detrimental treatment of deprived and maligned communities, Demon Copperhead tackles universal themes – from addiction and poverty, to family, love, and the power of friendship and art – it packs a triumphant emotional punch, and it is a novel that will withstand the test of time.”