The pie charts illustrate the proportion of five different types of books sold by a bookseller over a 40-year period from 1972 to 2012.
Overall, the sales of adult and children’s fiction showed a steady increase, whereas the other categories experienced a decline. Additionally, the most significant change was observed in adult fiction, which became the most popular category by the end of the period.
In 1972, adult fiction and children’s fiction each accounted for 20% of total sales. From that point onwards, the proportion of adult fiction increased moderately to 25% in 1992, before rising sharply to 45% in 2012. Similarly, children’s fiction sales grew slightly, reaching 25% after 40 years.
Regarding biography books, their sales declined gradually from 20% in 1972 to just 8% in 2012. Meanwhile, the percentage of travel books increased slightly from 15% to 18% in 1992 but then dropped sharply to 10% by the end of the timeframe. The “others” category, which initially had the highest share at 25%, saw a substantial decline, falling to 12% in 2012.