The three pie charts compare the proportion of sales for five different categories of books over a 40-year period between 1972 and 2012. Overall, fiction became increasingly popular, particularly among adults, while non-fiction genres, such as biography, travel and others experienced steady declines. Children’s fiction, on the other hand rose steadily.
In 1972, “other” book sale category was the most common, with a quarter of sales. This figure declined by 5% in 1992. After two decades, it fell to 12%. In 1972, all adult fiction, children’s fiction and biography accounted for a fifth of total book sales. In 2012, the percentage of all genres adhered to rising trends, with the exception of biography, whose figure decreased to 8%.
Adult fiction experienced growth to 45% in 2012, becoming the most popular book by genre. Children’s fiction rose from a fifth to a quarter. Travel books constituted 15% in 1972 and increased by 3% after 20 years, before shrinking to 10% in 2012.
