There have been reports claiming that ebook sales are falling. But Kobo’s latest report says the opposite for Australians. In February, Kobo released its annual book report that says Australians are reading more ebooks. Prince Harry’s autobiography Spare is one of the most popular titles we have read and listened to. Cumulative reading time in 2023 was 1430 years, which is 119 years from 2022, and Australians spent a total time of 66.8 years listening to books.
The Kobo Book Report focuses on Australian reading habits, including the most popular books, genres, audiobooks, times we like to read, and the most popular reading month.
Most popular genres: romance, biography/autobiography, mystery, business, and economics
Most popular reading time: 9pm to 11 pm
Michael Tamblyn, CEO, Rakuten Kobo, said: “In troubled times, when people are feeling uncertain, they turn enthusiastically to reading. We’ve seen groundbreaking new releases and outstanding page-to-screen adaptations take the world by storm.”
Two hit films of 2023 – Barbie and Oppenheimer – also encouraged readers to explore the subjects even more. Books about Barbie increased 13 per cent while ebook about Robert Oppenheimer or the atomic bomb increasing by a massive 638 per cent.
In addition, TikTok also has a huge influence on Australian reading choices, with authors Sarah J Maas, Jennifer L Armentrout, and Coleen Hoover among the most popular ones.
Australia’s bestselling books of 2023
Top 10 ebooks:
- Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus
- Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt, Lucinda Riley
- Fourth Wing, Rebecca Yarros
- Spare, Prince Harry The Duke of Sussex
- Yellowface, Rebecca F Kuang
- Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin
- It Ends With Us, Colleen Hoover
- The Bookbinder of Jericho, Pip Williams
- Verity, Colleen Hoover
- The Last Devil To Die, Richard Osman
Top 10 audiobooks
- Spare, Prince Harry The Duke of Sussex
- Atomic Habits, James Clear
- Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus
- Greenlights, Matthew McConaughey
- Did I Ever Tell You This? Sam Neill
- The Thursday Murder Club, Richard Osman
- The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel van der Kolk
- The Bookbinder of Jericho, Pip Williams
- The Last Devil To Die, Richard Osman
- Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, Matthew Perry
Navkiran Dhaliwal is a seasoned content writer with 10+ years of experience. When she's not writing, she can be found cooking up a storm or spending time with her dog, Rain.