by Tom Ashford

The year is nearly over, and many of the biggest titles will have been launched in the run-up to Christmas. So now they’re out in the wild, which books have been the most successful in 2019?

(On Amazon, at least.)

1.) Where the Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens (Hardcover)

2.) Becoming, by Michelle Obama

3.) Educated: A Memoir, by Tara Westover

4.) Dog Man: For Whom the Ball Rolls, by Dav Pilkey

5.) Girl, Wash Your Face, by Rachel Hollis

6.) The Wonderful Things You Will Be, by Emily Winfield Martin

7.) Girl, Stop Apologizing, by Rachel Hollis

8.) The 5 Love Languages, by Gary Chapman

9.) School Zone – Big Preschool Workbook, by School Zone

10.) Wrecking Ball, by Jeff Kinney

11.) The Wonky Donkey, by Craig Smith

12.) The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, by Mark Manson

13.) It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way, by Lysa TerKeurst

14.) Unfreedom of the Press, by Mark R. Levin

15.) The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle

16.) Dog Man: Fetch-22, by Dav Pilkey

17.) The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz

18.) Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, by Dr. Seuss

19.) Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, by Samin Nosrat

20.) Dog Man: Brawl of the Wild, by Dav Pilkey

21.) Howard Stern Comes Again, by Howard Stern

22.) The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, by Marie Kondō

23.) Giraffes Can’t Dance, by Giles Andreae

24.) What Should Danny Do?, by Adir Levy

25.) If Animals Kissed Good Night, by Ann Whitford Paul

26.) Guts, by Raina Telgemeier

27.) The Body Keeps the Score, by Bessel van der Kolk M.D.

28.) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, by J.K. Rowling

29.) The Complete Ketogenic Diet for Beginners, by Amy Ramos

30.) Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown

31.) Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Cookbook, by Jennifer Smith

32.) I Am Confident, Brave & Beautiful, by Hopscotch Girls

33.) To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

34.) National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Why, by Amy Shields

35.) Difficult Riddles for Smart Kids, by M Prefontaine

36.) Player’s Handbook (Dungeons & Dragons), by Wizards RPG Team

37.) Can’t Hurt Me, by David Goggins

38.) The Mueller Report, by The Washington Post

39.) You Are a Badass, by Jen Sincero

40.) Unicorn Coloring Book, by Silly Bear

41.) P is for Potty!, by Naomi Kleinberg

42.) The Silent Patient, Alex Michaelides

43.) Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, by Bill Martin Jr.

44.) Where the Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens (Paperback)

45.) The Testaments, by Margaret Atwood

46.) Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th Edition

47.) Rich Dad Poor Dad, by Robert T. Kiyosaki

48.) Strange Planet, by Nathan W. Pyle

49.) The Gifts of Imperfection, by Brené Brown

50.) The Total Money Makeover, by Dave Ramsey

Paperbacks and hardbacks, although certainly profitable products for many indie authors, are still harder to market than ebooks, and as such as the charts are dominated by trad publishing. However, it’s also worth noting how many of the top 50 physical books sold in 2019 are either for children or written with ‘self help’ in mind. Genre fiction barely gets a look in.

Amazon Charts correct at time of writing (13th December) and for US market only.

Tom Ashford

Tom Ashford is a professional copywriter, author of numerous dark fantasy and sci-fi novels, and the Head of Content at the Self Publishing Formula Blog. His books include the Blackwater trilogy and the Checking Out series.

He lives in London with his wife, in an apartment that doesn’t allow pets. Find out more about Tom here.