Happy Independent Bookshop Week 2026!
Every day is a good day to buy a book, and that’s especially true during Independent Bookshop Week! Indies are a vital part of the UK high street and the book market, supporting local communities and authors and boosting books beyond the usual bestsellers. Even just looking at the top books for 2026 so far (to the end of May, excluding World Book Day £1 editions), we can see how different the indie top titles are to the wider UK print market, with only two books overlapping: indie bestseller The Names by Florence Knapp has also reached fourth for the overall market, while The Seriously Epic Holiday of Lottie Brooks by Katie Kirby sits at sixth and seventh, respectively, in the two lists, as measured by NielsenIQ BookScan.
Outside of those, the wider UK market leans more into crime & thriller books, accounting for seven of the top ten spots, while the independent bookshop bestsellers are more historical and literary fiction, with a connecting thread of complicated relationships, familial or otherwise, as well as many prizes and plaudits. The indie bestsellers also feature a non-fiction book at fifth, Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton, extending our connecting thread to animal relationships as well.
Raising Hare does appear within the top ten non-fiction books of the year for the overall market, with the fiction, non-fiction and children’s lists for indies vs the total market shown below. The memoir is joined by Always Remember by Charlie Mackesy and London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe among the top non-fiction titles for both sides, although for indies, the latter ranks higher, second to Raising Hare.
The children’s selection has three books in common as well, led by the aforementioned Lottie Brooks, along with Partypooper by Jeff Kinney and Gozzle by Julia Donaldson & Sara Ogilvie. That’s not the top Julia book bought at indies this year, however, with The Magic Feather ahead, surrounded in the chart by children’s graphic novels. Graphic novels account for five of the top ten children’s books through indies for the year so far, three of which are by Jamie Smart, along with Neill Cameron’s Make a Mess! and Dav Pilkey’s Big Jim Believes (which is the top children’s graphic novel for the overall market, sitting at 12th in the children’s & YA sector).
Jamie Smart may be the most represented author among the indie top tens, with Katie Kirby also having multiple titles, but moving over to fiction, Freida McFadden is the most represented overall, taking half of the top ten spots for the overall fiction market. The thriller writer is absent from the indie list, however, as The Names is the only commonality between the two. One thing that does go across both lists is the impact of film & TV, with Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid in the wider market bestsellers and Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell and Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir among the fiction bestsellers for independent bookshops.
I think we can all agree that’s a solid selection of titles! And having a good selection is one of the main reasons why people choose independent bookshops, according to results from our monthly Books & Consumers survey. Good selection of books sits behind convenience, which is the top factor for both indies and for overall retailers, and good service, which is more impactful when it comes to indies, shown below. Happening to see the book there is also relatively more likely to drive indie bookshop purchases, but the two that really go beyond the overall market stats are good atmosphere and, especially, supporting the shop.
That support is so important to keep indies part of the high street, so for this Independent Bookshop Week, go check out the selection at your local bookshop, enjoy the atmosphere and support the booksellers who love books as much as you do!
Based on data extracted from the NielsenIQ BookScan Total Consumer Market (TCM) to 30 May 2026, and the Books & Consumers monthly survey to end of 2025. For more information about our data, please contact infobookresearch@nielseniq.com.