Rachel rejoices: The Homemade God makes it with the indies
The latest novel from Rachel Joyce, The Homemade God (Transworld), has ascended to the summit of the Independent Bookshop Top 20, according to the latest data from NielsenIQ BookScan.
In its second week on sale, the book has climbed from seventh place to take the crown, thanks in part to the personal connection the author has made with indies.
Jo Coldwell, manager at Red Lion Books in Colchester, said: “When we see a Rachel Joyce title, we know it will sell naturally but, at Red Lion, we will go that extra mile to get it into the hands of a customer. This is because she took the time to be our Book Club Guest during the 2020 lockdown.
“Rachel logged on from her Shepherdess Hut and connected with our book club members. Indie customers are loyal readers and will continue to support any author who has shown up in this way. The book/customer/bookshop relationship is multi-layered.”
Other bookshops have had a hit with The Homemade God thanks to the sprayed edge finish on the indie exclusive edition. Amanda Wallis, owner of Barn Owl Books in Malmesbury, said: “We picked [it] as our book of the month for February, and despite ordering more copies than we ever have, of any one title, we are struggling to keep it on the shelves.
“Two of our book clubs, have now selected it as their next read, so it’s back to Penguin again for me with another order. The beautiful indie exclusive editions with their sprayed edges are admittedly hard to resist but the exquisite writing and complex bonds of family make this book, from one of our favourite authors, a sure winner for us.”
NielsenIQ does not reveal sales data for the indie sector, but in its overall Total Consumer Market (TCM), there is a slightly different picture for Joyce. Sales have fallen 12.4% compared with its first week on sale to 2,471 copies and has dropped 16 spots in the ranking to 71st place.
Still, consistency is key: the three titles at the top of the previous indie Top 20 have all fallen out of the chart after just one week allowing room for Joyce, and others, to move up the Indie Top 20.
Those other movers this week include Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet (Tinder Press), Anne Tyler’s Three Days in June (Vintage) and Lisa Ridzén’s When the Cranes Fly South (translated by Alice Menzies and published by Transworld) have all jumped up the chart.
While Freida McFadden’s Dear Debbie (Poisoned Pen Press) tops both the Official UK Top 50 and the Bookstat E-book Top 20, it fails to make a mark with the indies. In fact, only one book from the TCM Top 5 has made an impression in independent bookshops this week: Rachel Reid’s Heated Rivalry which fell six places to 12th. Despite that drop, the Canadian author will be happy with her showing as three titles from the Game Changer series appear in the Indie Top 20, including the fifth instalment Role Model, which makes its first appearance on the list in seventh.
It is not the biggest new release of the week, though. That honour goes to Madeline Cash’s critically-praised debut novel, Lost Lambs (Doubleday), which takes second place at launch, appearing 110 rungs higher than it does in the TCM.
The full Independent Bookshop Top 20 can be found on The Bookseller’s bestseller pages.
The Bookseller has adjusted the Independent Bookshop chart to remove some titles where sales do not derive from traditional bricks-and-mortar bookshops, such as exhibition catalogues and those featured on conglomerates’ subscription boxes.
