Mantel and Borodale top Orange sales

12.05.10 | Philip Stone in The Bookseller

Hilary Mantel's Man Booker-winning Wolf Hall (Fourth Estate) remains the clear sales leader on the Orange Prize for Fiction shortlist. Total sales of the fictionalisation of the life of Thomas Cromwell currently stand at 414,576 copies across all editions, of which 26,616 have come since the Orange shortlist was announced on 20th April.

Although this figure is down 35% on sales during the previous three weeks (leading up to the week of the announcement), Wolf Hall is nonetheless the front-runner in sales terms by a considerable distance. The next most popular title at UK bookshops since the shortlist was announced has been Barbara Kingsolver's The Lacuna (Faber), with sales of 10,006 copies across all editions (up 2,238% on the previous three-week period), while Rosie Alison's The Very Thought of You (Alma) sits third with sales of 9,007 copies (up 81%).

Lorrie Moore's A Gate at the Stairs (Faber) sold 6,983 copies during the three weeks to 8th May period (up 2,333% on sales during the previous three weeks) while Monique Roffey's The White Woman on the Green Bicycle (Pocket) sold 5,269 copies (up 4,442%).

Attica Locke's Black Water Rising (Serpent's Tail) has proved the least popular title in sales terms with sales of 4,446 copies across all editions since the shortlist was announced, although this was up a massive 6,740% on the previous three-week period—due largely to the fact its massmarket edition was released during the week of the announcement. This also occurred with Kingsolver, Moore and Roffey.

Last year's winner, Marilynne Robinson's Home (Virago), has sold 98,750 copies to date across all editions while the 2008 winner, Rose Tremain's The Road Home (Vintage) has sold 272,000 copies and counting.

Jane Borodale's The Book of Fires was last week's bestseller among the three titles shortlisted for the Orange Award for New Writers. The HarperPress publication sold 832 copies during the seven days to 8th May, according to BookScan data, with the other nominees, Irene Sabatini's The Boy Next Door (Sceptre) and Evie Wyld's After the Fire, A Still Small Voice (Vintage), selling 547 and 413 copies respectively. Last year's winner, Francesca Kay's An Equal Stillness (Phoenix) has sold 35,800 copies to date.

The winners of both awards will be announced on 9th June.