NielsenIQ BookData and GfK Entertainment have released their international data for the first eight months of 2025 at the Frankfurt Book Fair.
NielsenIQ BookData and GfK Entertainment have released their international data for the first eight months of 2025 at the Frankfurt Book Fair. The findings paint a mixed picture: 11 out of 19 territories analyzed reported revenue growth, often accompanied by significant price increases. Crime fiction performed particularly well, while non-fiction sales declined in many territories.
The international book markets are navigating a transitional period, with subdued non-fiction sales, but strong performances in fiction genres such as crime and thriller, science-fiction and fantasy. As the representative data from January to August 2025 show, 11 of the 19 territories surveyed reported revenue growth compared to the same period last year. India (+28.6%), Brazil (+10.8%), Colombia (+9.6%), and Portugal (+8.4%) reported particularly strong increases.
France and the United Kingdom, the largest markets in the report with sales of 186 million and 115 million units respectively, ended the first eight months of 2025 with slight revenue declines of -0.8% and -0.4%. The Netherlands (-0.7%), Poland (-1.3%), German-speaking Switzerland (-1.8%), and Italy (-2.6%) also recorded downturns. The biggest fall occurred in French-speaking Switzerland, the Romandy region (- 4.4%).
Rising prices counteract falling volumes
Eight of the territories analyzed reported an increase in the number of books sold. In addition to growth markets like India (+27.1%) and Brazil (+10.0%), these included Australia (+2.0%) and New Zealand (+8.4%). Elsewhere, unit sales declined, such as in Italy (-3.0%) and Belgium’s Wallonia region (-2.2%).
Average book prices rose across the board, helping in part to counteract the drop in sales volumes. In Spain, for example, the average price increased by +4.1% to €16.04 per title. Mexico (280.58 MXN) and the Netherlands (€16.21) both reported price hikes of +4.0%. New Zealand was the only market where average selling prices fell, falling -4.0% to NZ$21.03 year on year.
Crime, science fiction and fantasy drive fiction sales
As in the previous year, the fiction segment developed positively, with 14 of 19 territories reporting revenue growth. Crime authors including Freida McFadden played a key role. Novels in the American writer’s The Housemaid series top the overall year-to-date charts in France, Spain, Belgium’s Wallonia region, and the Romandy, and are among the top five bestselling novels in Australia, Brazil, Ireland, Portugal, and the UK in 2025. In France, McFadden takes all five spots in its overall year-to-date bestseller list. Science fiction, fantasy, and romantasy titles, such as Rebecca Yarros’ Empyrean series and Sarah J Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses, also proved popular. Across numerous territories, the BookTok community on TikTok has inspired these and many other authors and titles to become bestsellers
The Let Them Theory and The Pope biography among non-fiction bestsellers
Non-fiction books saw revenue growth in eight of the 19 countries analyzed. Among the most successful titles were James Clear’s Atomic Habits, released in 2018, and Mel Robbins’ 2025 title The Let Them Theory. Robbins’ guide to letting go in an overstimulated world tops the overall 2025 year-to-date charts in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and South Africa, and is the number one bestselling non-fiction book of 2 2025 in Belgium (Flanders), the Netherlands, Poland, and the UK. Biographies such as Hope by the late Pope Francis and A Different Kind of Power by former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern also enjoyed success.
Suzanne Collins dominates children’s and young adult segment
The top-selling children’s and young adult book so far in 2025 is Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins. The second prequel to Collins’ The Hunger Games series was especially popular in Australia, France, Ireland, New Zealand, the Romandy, and the UK. Overall, ten countries increased their children’s and young adult books revenues year on year.
About study
The analysis is based on point-of-sale data on printed books from January to August 2025 for the following territories: Australia, Belgium (Flanders/Wallonia), Brazil, Colombia, France, India,
Ireland, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Spain, South Africa, Switzerland (German-speaking and Romandy regions), and the UK. Market coverage and included genres may vary from country to country
About GfK Entertainment
GfK Entertainment is a supplier of charts and market research data to the Books, Games, Music, and Video industries. It works closely with the relevant industry bodies and currently carries out market research in over 30 countries. For more information, visit: gfk-entertainment.com.
About NielsenIQ BookData
NielsenIQ BookData provides a range of services to the book industry internationally, aiding the discovery and purchase, distribution and sales measurement of books. NielsenIQ BookData is responsible for the ISBN and SAN Agencies for UK & Ireland as well as providing search and discovery services for booksellers and libraries. Its Research services provide retail sales analysis for both print and e-books alongside research from the Books and Consumers Survey. For publishers NielsenIQ BookData offers a range of services from assigning an ISBN to a book to adding metadata to its database and providing promotional tools to help market books. The company is wholly owned by NIQ. For more information, visit nielsenbook.co.uk.
