Christmas predictions: John Purcell from Booktopia

In a new series running in the lead-up to Christmas, Books+Publishing is asking booksellers across the country to predict their biggest sellers and ‘surprise sellers’.

In our first instalment, Booktopia’s chief buyer John Purcell offers his Christmas predictions.

Bestsellers:

• Working Class Man (Jimmy Barnes, HarperCollins)
• The Barefoot Investor 2017 Update (Scott Pape, Wiley)
• Maggie’s Recipe for Life (Maggie Beer & Ralph Martins, S&S)
• Burke and Wills: The Triumph and Tragedy of Australia’s Most Famous Explorers (Peter FitzSimons, Hachette)
• Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Tales of Extraordinary Women (Elena Favilli & Francesca Cavallo, Particular Books)

Last year industry outsiders, Jimmy Barnes and Scott Pape, taught the book industry how to sell books. This year they’ll both be fighting for the top spot on the bestseller charts again: Scott with a revised edition of The Barefoot Investor and Jimmy with Working Class Man, the sequel to his bestselling and award-winning Working Class Boy.

Also entering the fierce competition for top spot are two industry icons, Maggie Beer and Peter FitzSimons. Maggie’s Recipe for Life has rocketed up the charts and Peter’s Burke and Wills promises to be under every tree this Christmas.

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls may be a year old, but it’s still selling like a new release and shows no sign of stopping!

Surprise seller:

• Renovating for Profit (Cherie Barber, Hardie Grant)

The big surprise hit is Renovating for Profit by Cherie Barber. This book is perfectly timed with the end of The Block and for those considering a spring renovation ahead of summer. We’re selling hundreds of copies.

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