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With the 2010s coming to a close, it’s the perfect time for bookworms to reminisce on their favorite reads over the past 10 years. Whether or not you’re a literature buff, it’s pretty interesting to dive into the data surrounding book sales over the last decade.
By the book
According to global information company The NPD Group, 6.5 billion print books were sold this decade, compared to 1.8 billion e-books. “At the start of the decade, digital e-books were expected to decimate print book sales,” Kristen McLean, books industry analyst, at NPD Bookscan said in a press release. “However, print books have remained surprisingly resilient. After a high point in 2013, e-books have continuously lost share to print books every year.”
So what books made it to the decade’s bestseller list? The Fifty Shades series really stole the show, holding the top three positions. E.L. James’ erotic series accounted for nearly 35 million print and e-book sales.
The 10 bestselling books of the decade
Check out the list below for the seven books that were close contenders to James’ stimulating stories:
1. Fifty Shades of Grey, by E. L. James: 15.2 million copies
2. Fifty Shades Darker, by E. L. James: 10.4 million copies
3. Fifty Shades Freed, by E. L. James: 9.3 million copies
4. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins: 8.7 million copies
5. The Help, by Kathryn Stockett: 8.7 million copies
6. The Girl on The Train, by Paula Hawkins: 8.2 million copies
7. Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn: 8.1 million copies
8. The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green: 8 million copies
9. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson: 7.9 million copies
10. Divergent, by Veronica Roth: 6.6 million copies
