Guinness World Records tops the chart as market sales jump more than a quarter

In a week of mixed fortunes, the Guinness World Records 2025 has jumped to the top of the Official UK Top 50, according to data from Nielsen BookScan’s Total Consumer Market (TCM) – the 47th time the annual collection has topped the overall charts since records began.

It is hardly a record-breaking performance, though – sales are still down compared with the same week in 2023, although the gap has narrowed to just over 6,000 copies following a 43.8% improvement week-on-week. Lifetime sales of this year’s edition have reached 145,834 – a 27.9% decline on the same period last year.

The performance of Guinness has outstripped the rest of the Top 50 which is still up an impressive 18.3% in terms of volume. Meanwhile, the rest of the TCM has significantly stepped up week-on-week with 5.8 million books passing through bookshop tills – an increase of 27.9% – delivering a total value of £55.7m. Compared to the same week in 2023, that’s a 1.9% decline in volume and a 2.9% drop in value.

Last week’s number one Pinch of Nom: All in One by Kay & Kate Allinson (Bluebird) drops to 10th place overall with a more than expected drop of 59.9% week-on-week and 13,000 fewer copies than Pinch of Nom: Express’ second week last year.

This is very much the exception though, with most books inside the top 10 seeing sales increases against the previous seven-day period. The Private Eye Annual records sales of 12,300 units – a 51.3% boost on the previous week, though this is down nearly a fifth on the same week in 2023 – while Miranda Hart’s I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest with You (Michael Joseph) sees a similar jump in sales, shifting 4,580 more copies this week and boosting it into fifth place in the total top 50.

Richard Osman’s We Solve Murders (Viking) moves back up to second place overall and tops the Original Fiction chart for the sixth week since it was launched on 5th September. That represents a 52.1% increase on the previous seven days and a slight increase of 400 units compared to the same week for 2023’s The Last Devil to Die – the first time We Solve Murders has beaten its predecessor.

Asako Yuzuki’s Butter (Fourth Estate) shoots up to 10th place in the UK Top 50 and third in the Original Fiction chart, thanks to its pick as Waterstones’ Book of the Year. Butter enjoys a boost of 207% week-on-week and tops 10,000 units for the first time since it was published back in February, pushing it into ninth place in the nationwide top 50.

Samantha Harvey’s Booker-winning Orbital (Vintage) continues to lead the Mass Market Fiction chart (MMF) with sales of 23,417 copies and maintains its third-place position in the overall TCM. Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros (Piatkus) sticks to second place in the MMF chart, but with nearly 7,000 fewer copies through the tills than its launch week.

The biggest change comes from Gregory Maguire’s Wicked (Headline) which defies gravity following the release of the film-adaption of the West End musical and rises 17 places to the third spot.

Jeff Kinney’s Hot Mess (Puffin)—the 19th instalment in the Wimpy Kid series—rises two places to take the fourth spot in the top 10 this week. With sales of 17,269 units this week – up 13.3% on the previous week – it easily retains the crown for the bestselling Children’s title this week, nearly 7,000 copies ahead of its nearest rival, National Geographic’s Weird But True! (Collins), which itself has nearly doubled its sales this week.

It has been a good week for the Paperback Non-Fiction chart (PBNF), with the total top 20 increasing its sales by 36.6% and providing the overall top 50 with three titles, including a return for 2023’s Christmas number one – GT Karber’s Murdle (Souvenir).

The first edition of the crime-themed logic puzzle series has had a 68% boost in sales this week, but that’s not enough to take the top spot in the PBNF chart with The 1% Club (Bantam) just pipping it with sales of 8,581 copies.