Quiz books enjoyed their best year since records began in 1998, with spending rising by nearly a quarter in 2025, according to data from NielsenIQ BookData. The surge defied a broader slump in non-fiction sales, which fell to their lowest level since 2014 at £791 million, a 5% drop.
Bibles also saw a sharp increase, with sales up 19% year-on-year to £6.3 million, an increase of £3.6 million compared to 2019. The bestselling quiz books were spin-offs of the ITV gameshow The 1% Club, hosted by Lee Mack, published by Transworld, a division of Penguin Random House.
Overall, combined print book sales were worth £1.81 billion. While adult fiction spending rose, the number of print fiction books sold dipped slightly by 0.5%. The average book price hit a record £9.52, 2% higher than 2024, attributed to inflation and rising production costs.
Philip Stone, head of publisher account management at NielsenIQ BookData, said: “Non-fiction faced greater pressure, though the popularity of trivia, quiz books and religious titles highlights sustained demand for escapism and insight.” He added that the market remained resilient, with fiction boosted by sci-fi, fantasy, horror and graphic novels.
Richard Osman’s The Impossible Fortune topped the 2025 bestsellers list with 478,000 copies sold. Julia Donaldson was the UK’s bestselling author with 3.3 million copies, followed by Freida McFadden (2.6 million) and Dav Pilkey (1.5 million). Audiobook sales also rose, as did comic strips and graphic novels.
