Topline
Sarah J. Maas has claimed the title of the year’s bestselling author after the first quarter, newly released Circana data shows, an example of a strong surge in the romance and fantasy genres and a case study in how TikTok popularity can catapult authors to fame years after their works first release.
Key Facts
Maas, the author of three fantasy series who has enjoyed a surge in “BookTok” popularity in recent years, has sold 3.1 million print books so far in 2024 and claimed two spots on the top 10 bestselling books list for the month of March, according to Circana.
“A Court Of Thorns and Roses,” the first book in a Maas series of the same name that was released in 2015, was the No. 2 bestselling book of the month with 139,440 print sales and “A Court of Mist and Fury,” the second in the same series, was in the No. 6 spot with 88,099 sales.
Of the top 10 bestselling adult books last month, nine were either fantasy or romance novels, including No. 1 selling title “The Women” by Kristin Hannah, another TikTok favorite author who sold 215,564 print copies of that book in March.
“If Only I had Told Her” by Laura Nowlin was the third best seller last month (108,520 print copies sold), followed by “Fourth Wing” (102,497) and “Iron Flame” (90,994) by Rebecca Yarros, who recently announced she will release the third book in the “Empyrean” series in January.
The only non-romance or fantasy title to make the top-10 list last month was self-help book “Atomic Habits” by James Clear (in the No. 8 spot with 85,745 sales), a read that stands out amid what Circana called a slow-down in nonfiction sales seen in March of 2024.
The top 10 list for March was rounded out by Emily Henry’s “Happy Place” in the No. 7 spot (86,181 print sales), “Dune” by Frank Herbert at No. 9 (85,347) and “If He Had Been With Me” by Laura Nowlin at No. 10 (82,865).
Key Background
Sarah J. Maas has become a case study in the popularity of “BookTok,” described by Time as the “reader-centric corner of TikTok that has become an increasingly powerful force in the publishing industry.” Maas, 38, began writing her debut novel “Throne of Glass” as a teenager and published it in 2012, but didn’t achieve her current level of mainstream success until her novels became popular on TikTok. She was named the most popular author on BookTok in 2021, her novel “House of Sky and Breath” won a Goodreads Choice Award for Best Fantasy in 2022 (her third award in a row in the category) and sales of her work increased by 79% in the first half of 2023. A TV adaptation of “A Court of Thorns and Roses” co-written by Maas is currently in development at Hulu.
Crucial Quote
“I’m sitting here today because of social media,” Maas told NBC.
What To Watch For
Several of BookTok’s most anticipated releases are still to come this year. “Funny Story” by Emily Henry—her novel “Happy Place” was one of last year’s bestselling fiction books—is set to be released next Tuesday and three hyped-up releases are scheduled for June: “Summer Romance” by Annabel Monoghan (June 4), “Swan Song” by Elin Hilderbrand (June 11) and Riley Sager will release “Middle of the Night” on June 18.
Big Number
195 million. That’s how many print books have sold this year, according to Circana, a 3% decline in sales from the same time the year before. March 2024 saw a 2% drop from the same month last year, attributed by Circana partially to decreased adult nonfiction purchases and a drop in “Seuss month” sales, named for the birthday of author Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel.
Surprising Fact
Despite the decline in Seuss month sales, books by the author did hold two spots on the list of bestselling children’s books in March. “Green Eggs and Ham” was in the No. 3 spot with 100,333 print sales last month, and “One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish” was the No. 5 bestseller (86,314 sales). The No. 1 bestselling children’s book in March was “Dog Man: The Scarlet Shedder” by Dav Pilkey, which sold 470,434 print copies.
