Christmas predictions: Kath Pigou from Dymocks Adelaide

In a 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 this instalment, Dymocks Adelaide store manager Kath Pigou and her team offer their Christmas predictions.

Bestsellers:

• 5 Ingredients: Quick & Easy Food (Jamie Oliver, Michael Joseph)
• Working Class Man (Jimmy Barnes, HarperCollins)
• Origin (Dan Brown, Bantam)
• Sanctuary (Judy Nunn, Macmillan)
• Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow (Jessica Townsend, Hachette).

Last year Jimmy Barnes’ memoir Working Class Boy sold very well, and this year’s book is about the part of his life that people have been waiting to hear about—his time with Cold Chisel and his battle with addiction.

Jamie Oliver is always popular, and the TV show that shows him cooking these recipes has had a very good reception.  The recipes are simple, but tasty.

Judy Nunn has a huge following among those who love a story set in Australia. Each of her books is based on an interesting theme, and Sanctuary is about refugees who run aground on a small island off Western Australia.

Surprise sellers:

• F*ck, That’s Delicious (Action Bronson & Rachel Wharton, Abrams)
• Ask an Astronaut: My Guide to Life in Space (Tim Peake, Century)
• Saga Land (Richard Fidler & Kari Gislason, HarperCollins).

Action Bronson has a big following on YouYube and social media, and he’s a top-class chef with a no-nonsense approach that people like. The title doesn’t hurt either!

There’s huge interest in the universe and space travel, and Tim Peake’s Ask an Astronaut has the personal touch. It’s good for a wide age range of readers too.

Richard Fidler is well respected, popular and very personable, and his friendship with Kari Gislason adds a personal aspect to their first collaboration Saga Land. Iceland is both intriguing, and for most people, not a place they know a lot about, so the combination of the two friends’ first-hand experiences and the Icelandic Sagas should make this a winner.

Some extra children’s selections:

• What Do They Do with All the Poo at the Zoo? (Anh Do, Scholastic)
• Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Tales of Extraordinary Women (Elena Favilli & Francesca Cavallo, Particular Books)
• Harry Potter: A History of Magic (British Library, Bloomsbury).

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