AustLit

'During the 2000s there was considerable discussion about whether Australian book readers were turning in large numbers from fiction to non-fiction genres. This paper contributes empirical research to 'half' of the discussion: analysis of Nielsen BookScan (NB) non-fiction sales data from 2003-2008 to identify non-fiction sales trends, and more specifically, narrative non-fiction reading patterns. These findings provide a rare snapshot of Australian book-buying patterns after the introduction of NB and before the widespread popularity of online retail sites in the late 2000s and, more recently, ebook sales.' (Author's abstract)