Richard Osman Tops Bestsellers List for Second Consecutive Week as Fortune Hunters Reign
Richard Osman’s “The Impossible Fortune” Maintains Top Spot Despite Sales Drop
Thursday Murder Club Mystery Leads Book Sales
The latest installment in Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series, “The Impossible Fortune,” continues to dominate the book charts despite a 59.1% decline in sales from its debut week. According to NielsenIQ BookScan’s Total Consumer Market (TCM) data, the novel sold 59,504 copies in its first full week, bringing total sales to an impressive 205,204 copies over its initial 10 days. This rapid success has already placed it as the sixth bestselling book of the year, narrowly surpassing Sarah J Maas’ “A Court of Thorns and Roses.”
Dan Brown’s Latest Thriller Climbs the Charts
Dan Brown’s “The Secret of Secrets” has ascended to the second position in the Top 50 list, despite a 30.2% reduction in sales, recording 16,742 units this week. This achievement brings the latest Robert Langdon thriller’s total sales to 155,365 copies within four weeks, just behind Jamie Oliver’s 158,760 copies.
Strong Performance in Non-Fiction Bestseller Charts
Jamie Oliver’s “Eat Yourself Healthy” retained its top spot in the Hardback Non-Fiction chart, with sales of 14,173 units this week, although this is a significant drop from the previous week. Meanwhile, Kay and Kate Allinson’s “Pinch of Nom Slow Cooker” maintained its position within the TCM Top 50, selling 11,617 copies.
SenLinYu’s Debut Sets Impressive Record
SenLinYu’s debut novel “Alchemised” experienced a sharp decline in sales, slipping from the second spot, but it marks an outstanding start for the new author. The novel is being celebrated by Penguin Random House as the fastest-selling debut by an adult writer both in the UK and globally.
Overall Market Trends
While the top five titles have seen a collective reduction of 160,892 copies, they continue to lead the charts, all surpassing the 10,000-unit threshold this week. Freida McFadden’s “The Housemaid” remains a top contender with 9,412 units sold, making it the twelfth most successful book of the decade so far.
Children’s Literature and Seasonal Trends
“The Dinosaur that Pooped a Master” by Dougie Poynter and Tom Fletcher heads the Children’s Top 20 chart again, despite a slight sales dip. Halloween is also bolstering sales for children’s books, with 12 seasonal titles in the top 20 and a 21.7% sales jump compared to the previous week.
Growth in Paperback Non-Fiction Sales
In an encouraging rise, “The Courage to be Disliked” by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga saw a 16% increase in sales, seizing the top spot in the Paperback Non-Fiction category, while Gillian Anderson’s “Want” moved to third.
Market Overall Sees Mixed Results
The TCM recorded the retail of 3.4 million books this week, which marks a 3.6% drop from the prior week and 3% lower than the same timeframe in 2024. Despite a 4.5% drop in weekly book spending to £34.3m, the market is still seeing a 0.2% increase year on year.
