“There can be a lot of doom around book sales sometimes,” says Tomás Kenny of Kenny’s Bookshop in Galway, “but the Irish market was steady last year whereas there were declines in Germany, France and the UK. There are problems with logistics, and customs charges which drive up costs, particularly for smaller shops, but overall Irish people are still buying books in big numbers, and books are becoming increasingly popular with younger adults, which bodes well for the years ahead.”
Despite a relatively subdued Christmas market and a 2025 bestseller list dominated by backlist titles, last year was a successful one for Irish booksellers and publishers, according to a new report by industry analysts NielsenIQ BookData.
Fifty thousand fewer books may have been sold in the Republic last year – 12.29 million compared with 12.34 million in 2024 – but a 25 cent increase in the average price meant the value of sales rose by €2 million to €164 million.
“When I look at the list of titles that we are looking forward to in 2026, it is remarkable how almost all are Irish,” Kenny says. “We both talk about it all the time and don’t talk about it enough, just how remarkable it is that an island as small as ours can generate so much talent over so many diverse genres. And to do it every year is even more remarkable.
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“What I think is really worth saying is that we understandably focus on the writers rather than the publishers. But in a world where the big English and American publishers dominate, it’s amazing to see just how high quality our indigenous publishing is, and how much better it is getting from year to year.”
Gill is by far the dominant indigenous publisher, with more than 500,000 sales, more than 300,000 ahead of O’Brien, in second place, followed by Hachette Books Ireland, Penguin Sandycove and Irish Academic Press/Merrion Press.
The Irish-language learning sector is up 48 per cent year on year, thanks to the popularity of titles such as Ninety-Nine Words for Rain by Manchán Magan and The Irish Words You Should Know by Hector Ó hEoghagáin.
British-published titles account for 75 per cent of the market but the percentage of Irish-published titles sold rose by one point to 13 per cent, with US titles accounting for most of the balance. Nonfiction accounted for 58 per cent of Irish-published titles sold, compared with an overall market share of 34 per cent. Overall, book sales in Ireland are divided almost equally between adult fiction, adult nonfiction and children’s/YA/educational titles.
Last year’s bestselling title was a self-help book, The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins, with 38,885 sales, followed by the thriller The Housemaid by Frieda McFadden and Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan, both of which have been adapted for cinema. An exposé of the Kilkenny hurler-turned-swindler, The Dodger: DJ Carey and the Great Betrayal, by Eimear Ní Bhraonáin, was the bestselling Irish nonfiction title and the bestselling book by an Irish publisher, Merrion Press.
Mick Finucane of Chapters Bookstore on Parnell Street, Dublin, has more reason than most to look back with fondness on 2025.
“I’m pleased to say we had a good year, a particularly strong December coming off the back of winning the An Post Bookshop of the Year in November. We had strong momentum going into December resulting in a strong rise in in-store sales and online. We are very grateful to all the people who voted for us; it really means a lot to us all at Chapters.
“Our focus for the year was to build on what makes Chapters special through our pillars of new, bargain and second-hand books, along with a focus on community events to make Chapters more than a shop but a third place. We’ve hosted a huge amount of in-store events, transforming the shop into something electric. From Darren Shan’s five-hour signing marathon to The Write Stuff spoken-word nights, every event builds community and turns browsers into regulars. Some evenings spill into local pubs, others become family gatherings among the shelves. We’ve worked hard to strengthen our ties with festivals and institutions.
“Sales are up but costs have also risen across the board – wages, energy and other utilities. That squeeze is something every business is experiencing right now. The improved Christmas decorations on the north side of the city helped increase footfall. A more attractive city centre brings more people through the door.
“The most striking trend for us was the dominance of Irish-published and Irish-interest titles. Irish nonfiction had a remarkable year. Manchán Magan’s Ninety-Nine Words for Rain was a standout, and Donal Fallon’s The Dublin Pub performed brilliantly, exactly the kind of book that finds its natural home in a shop like ours. In fiction, international authors dominated, though Claire Keegan continued to be the great exception with Small Things Like These. Rebecca Yarros and the romantasy category had a genuinely significant year, with Onyx Storm bringing a whole new energy to that genre.
[ Ninety-nine words for rain in Irish: could it actually be true?Opens in new window ]
“Joseph O’Connor’s The Ghosts of Rome was a joy to sell in December, particularly after winning Book of the Year, and it gave his previous novel My Father’s House a very welcome second wind. And Roisín O’Donnell’s Nesting was one of the debut highlights of the year, rightly picking up nominations and awards throughout and translating that into strong sales for the year.”
“Like any other retailer, bookshop costs are rising,” says Cian Byrne, chair of Bookselling Ireland. “Increases such as pension auto-enrolment, employer’s PRSI, minimum wage and rents will continue to put pressure on shops in 2026. We have little or no control over the price of the product we sell. I think book prices will have to increase further but it is still an incredibly low-cost form of entertainment.
“We as booksellers will continue to do what we do best and continue to champion the great books that are being published every day. Our report on the cultural role and value of Ireland’s bookshops showed that they are inarguably an essential component of the nation’s cultural infrastructure.
“We hope to see action from the Government on the culture voucher scheme promised in the programme for government which will help to boost cultural participation for 16- and 17-year-olds, and bookshops are the perfect partners for this endeavour.”
Byrne’s Maynooth Bookshop had a better Christmas than the year before. “Since the free schoolbooks scheme in 2023, we have changed our focus and used the space clawed back from schoolbooks to broaden our range and reassess why people want to shop with us. We differentiate from a chain shop that might be focused primarily on frontlist titles. We focus on selling more of the books that we love and not lose sleep that we are not selling tons of best-sellers.
“Irish fiction is one of our passions and it continues to grow for us, John B Keane’s The Bodhran Makers was a bestseller last year as it is highlighted as a staff favourite. What was once a BookTok shelf has morphed into much larger fantasy and romance sections. The same can be said of Manga and comics. These are attracting a noticeably younger audience into the shop, which is absolutely brilliant to see.”
The pandemic cut academic book sales at his Maynooth University Bookshop and Campus Bookshop in UCD by almost 50 per cent. “We have diversified both shops greatly and I don’t see them closing; we are adjusting to a new reality.
“When I started in academic bookselling I was told we are the only bookshops trying to sell people books that they don’t want to buy. That definitely isn’t the case any more because if it was we would be closed. We have a unique opportunity with a demographic that every bookseller wants. These are a generation who are discovering books in a much different way. They want to read to disconnect. We are working hard to connect them with the books they want, and the ones they don’t know they want yet.”
Lynda Laffan, head of books at Eason, said 2025 was “a reasonable year for books”. The Let Them Theory, Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins, Deadly Silence by Jacqueline Connolly and the Housemaid series got the year off to a strong start.
“However, the latter part of the year presented challenges, particularly new fiction. The run-in to the Christmas period lacked the breadth and impact of Irish literary releases in 2024, when high-profile books from Sally Rooney, Graham Norton, Donal Ryan and Paul Howard drove significant interest. The absence of comparable marquee releases in 2025 created a gap that was difficult to fill.
“Similarly, while there were strong performers in nonfiction – including the DJ Carey exposé and Andy Farrell’s autobiography – the market did not see a standout ‘blockbuster’ title with the same commercial pull as Johnny Sexton’s 2024 release. In the end, the festive rush lacked a defining must-have book that typically drives seasonal sales.
“But 2025 did see further growth in interest in fantasy and romantasy, which are increasingly mainstream. Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros ranked among the top sellers in the early part of the year. TikTok also continued to drive demand, with Freida McFadden and Cork author Chloe Walsh both enjoying exceptional sales.”
Kenny is confident that 2026 will be a bumper year. “Any year with a new Doireann Ní Ghríofa is a great year, and we are seeing big pre-orders for her forthcoming Said The Dead. I have been reading Juliano Zaffino’s debut novel coming from the ever-brilliant Tramp Press, and it is extremely good. I’m also really looking forward to Land by Maggie O’Farrell and Hooked by Asako Yuzuki, all of which promise to both sell well and be great reads. And new Sebastian Barry, Colm Tóibín and Donal Ryan titles. We are spoilt this year.
“In terms of non-fiction the title I think everyone is looking forward to is Patrick Radden Keefe’s London Falling. And Hungry by Katriona O’Sullivan. Personally I can’t wait to see Rory Carroll’s book on Roger Casement, who is due a reappraisal.”
Finucane is also feeling positive. “I think 2026 is shaping up to be a genuinely exciting year for Irish fiction in particular. New books from Liz Nugent, Maggie O’Farrell, Sebastian Barry, Colm Tóibín and Donal Ryan would be enough to make any bookseller happy, but the one I keep coming back to is Louise Kennedy’s Stations. We are extraordinarily lucky in this country with the writers we have, and I don’t think that gets said often enough.
“On a broader international note there are some exciting new books coming from Asako Yuzuki, the author of Butter, Matt Haig, Alice Oseman and lots more. Fantasy fans can expect the new book from Stephanie Garber, The Mirror of Infinite Endings, and every child and child at heart will be looking forward to Julia Donaldson’s Gruffalo Granny. So we’re optimistic for 2026.”
Byrne says what excites him most are new books by Irish authors. “Katriona O’Sullivan’s Hungry and Louise Nealon’s Everything that is Beautiful both should be massive for us. Doireann Ní Ghríofa’s Said the Dead will be one of the big Irish literary titles, as will Colm Tóibín’s The News From Dublin. Donal Ryan has a new book out later in the year which will be huge. Ciara Mageean’s My Greatest Race has the potential to be the biggest sports book of the year. Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen bring Our Deadly Summer to the table, their first foray beyond the Aisling series. Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 26 by Gege Akutami will be one of the big manga titles and Unrivaled by Rachel Reid will hopefully match the heights of Heated Rivalry.”
Laffan is hoping to see a more consistent publishing schedule in 2026. “I’m particularly looking forward to Liz Nugent’s new one, The Truth About Ruby Cooper. Her last one, Strange Sally Diamond, was one of our standout titles of 2023. Fiction by Irish authors is a huge draw for our customers, so we are really pleased to see new releases this year from Maggie O’Farrell, Donal Ryan, John Boyne, Paul Howard in August and Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen’s Our Deadly Summer.
“Non-fiction looks equally strong in the first half of the year. Hungry by Katriona O’Sullivan, author of the acclaimed memoir Poor; Ciara Mageean’s My Greatest Race, a deeply personal and powerful memoir about her remarkable sporting career and her cancer journey; Ellen Coyne’s deep dive into the recent Irish dancing scandals in the brilliantly titled Dirty Dancing.
“Children’s publishing also looks particularly strong so far this year. Sinead O’Hart has a cute new series for younger readers, Ellora Magee, Trainee Banshee; Sinead Moriarty’s new one for middle-grade readers, Saving Grace; as well as Aoife Dooley’s second offering in the Squid Squad graphic novel series.”
