Ever wonder what categories are the most popular in graphic novels?
Think it’s all manga and superheroes?
Well, as you can see on the chart to the left, it’s fairly diverse.
How did I come up with these percentages?
Simple…
First, there’s this group called BISG. They make sure all the standards that booksellers and publishers use work. One thing they standardize are called BISAC subject codes. These help booksellers to categorize what they sell, either online or onshelf.
Books In Print is a big database run by R.R. Bowker, who also manage EANs and ISBNs for Anglo-American publishers. If it’s got an EAN, they list it. Even for the rinky-dink publishers you’ll never hear of.
With a little trial and error, and hacking of URLs, I figured out a way to search BISACs for specific years. That’s a work in progress, and I’ll publish that data at a later date.
But it’s quite easy to search for EVERYTHING by a specific BISAC code, regardless of date.
Here are the numbers for the above chart:
TOTAL | 72,992 |
TOTAL Manga | 15,143 |
TOTAL Juvenile | 9,802 |
Superheroes (CGN004080) | 8,811 |
General (CGN000000) | 17,996 |
TOTAL Everything Else | 21,240 |
Some caveats: BISACs are assigned by publishers. A title may have more than one BISAC subject code. A title may have a “graphic novel” BISAC, yet not be a graphic novel. (For example, a Golden Book easy-to-read Spider-Man story book.) Version 2 of the BISAC subject codes dates to November 1997, which predates the modern era which started in 1999 with the importation of Pokemon titles by Viz Media.
(Library subject headings are just as muddled. Some titles use “Comic books, strips, etc.”; some use “Graphic novels”. But if we standardize the search terms, one can still study trends.)
Note that graphic novels for kids outnumber superhero titles for a general trade audience…
Manga’s numbers have decreased over the years (2013, Manga only had 14% of the titles), and “everything else” has grown (36% in 2013).
What’s it all mean? Stay tuned… I need to fill in the years from 1970 to 2011.
Here’s the raw data for each BISAC subject I could find, including ones since deactivated. (Yes, they still show up…)
CGN000000 | COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / General | 17,996 |
CGN001000 | COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Anthologies | 880 |
CGN002000 | COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Comics & Cartoons | 393 |
CGN003000 | COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Educational | 9 |
CGN004000 | COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Graphic Novels / General | 1547 |
CGN004010 | COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Crime & Mystery | 1309 |
CGN004020 | COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Erotica | 522 |
CGN004030 | COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Fantasy | 2778 |
CGN004040 | COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Horror | 2056 |
CGN004050 | COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Manga / General | 10291 |
CGN004060 | COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Media Tie-In | 1426 |
CGN004070 | COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Science Fiction | 2322 |
CGN004080 | COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Superheroes | 8811 |
CGN004090 | COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Romance | 266 |
CGN004100 | COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Manga / Crime & Mystery | 169 |
CGN004110 | COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Manga / Erotica | 56 |
CGN004120 | COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Manga / Fantasy | 2004 |
CGN004130 | COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Manga / LGBT | 57 |
CGN004140 | COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Manga / Historical Fiction | 126 |
CGN004150 | COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Manga / Horror | 412 |
CGN004160 | COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Manga / Media Tie-In | 237 |
CGN004170 | COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Manga / Nonfiction | 42 |
CGN004180 | COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Manga / Romance | 816 |
CGN004190 | COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Manga / Science Fiction | 754 |
CGN004200 | COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Manga / Sports | 117 |
CGN004210 | COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Manga / Yaoi | 62 |
CGN004220 | COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Manga / Religious | 7 |
CGN005000 | COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / History & Criticism | 175 |
CGN006000 | COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Literary | 1479 |
CGN007000 | COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Nonfiction | 752 |
CGN008000 | COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Contemporary Women | 159 |
CGN009000 | COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / LGBT | 138 |
CGN010000 | COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Historical Fiction | 319 |
CGN011000 | COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Religious | 93 |
CGN012000 | COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Adaptations * | 21 |
ART004000 | ART / Techniques / Cartooning | 905 |
HUM001000 | HUMOR / Form / Comic Strips & Cartoons | 3642 |
HUM002000 | HUMOR / Comic Books, Strips, etc. | 42 |
JUV033070 | JUVENILE FICTION / Religious / Christian / Comics & Graphic Novels | 117 |
JUV008000 | JUVENILE FICTION / Comics & Graphic Novels / General | 6025 |
JUV008010 | JUVENILE FICTION / Comics & Graphic Novels / Manga | 867 |
JUV008020 | JUVENILE FICTION / Comics & Graphic Novels / Superheroes | 1306 |
JUV008030 | JUVENILE FICTION / Comics & Graphic Novels / Media Tie-In | 413 |
JNF028010 | JUVENILE NONFICTION / Humor / Comic Strips & Cartoons | 239 |
JNF049190 | JUVENILE NONFICTION / Religious / Christian / Comics & Graphic Novels | 40 |
JNF062000 | JUVENILE NONFICTION / Comics & Graphic Novels / General | 327 |
JNF062010 | JUVENILE NONFICTION / Comics & Graphic Novels / Biography | 166 |
JNF062020 | JUVENILE NONFICTION / Comics & Graphic Novels / History | 302 |
TOTAL | 72992 |
What recognizable titles would qualify as “General”?
With “Manga / LGBT” being on par with “Manga / Yaoi”, I’m guessing that there’s some category confusion going on, because nearly all guys-who-love-guys manga seen in the North American market is really yaoi … very little bara manga seen around here.
I wonder if there’s any overlap between “COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Erotica” and “COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Religious”. If not, I may have to get working on that Song of Solomon adaptation I’ve had in the back of my mind. :) “Your breasts are like two fawns, twin fawns of a gazelle.”
This is really cool stuff, Torsten. I can sincerely appreciate the deep dives you had to make in order to dig this stuff up. With the manga stat, I’m wondering if there is a direct correlation between the reduced marketing efforts(by the publishers) and the sales numbers.
Sorting out proper BISAC for retail and MARC(catalog records) for libraries is still going to take a bit of time as each segment becomes accustomed to the growth of the comics category. The Dewey committee(yes, they do exist) are still resistant to the idea of creating a specific identifier for graphic novels, while BISAC still pushes young adult titles( ages 13+) to the juvenile category.
As it is with libraries, there are traditional book sellers who understand the graphic novel category and are doing a much better job of defining and presenting graphic novels to their patrons/customers.
Even so, the numbers you have here are really great to see. Thanks again for going “forensic” and digging up the cool info.
General? Well, remember that these subjects are assigned by the publisher, so it can be a lazy way for publishers who don’t publish a lot of GNs, or don’t care to delve deeper into the listings.
Poetry Is Useless by Anders Nilsen
Neil Gaiman’s Lady Justice #1
Elric: Stormbringer (which also is categorized as Horror, and Fantasy.)
(and books about comics, like Taschen’s DC history.)
As for sales, I have no access to BookScan or other sales data. The ICV2 White Paper is the only thing I can think of regarding sales. (Although the Germans do a robust young reader survey every year for magazines. Weiss nicht if that includes books.
http://www.egmont-mediasolutions.de/news/pdf/KVA%202014_PM.pdf
Mr. Quest:
The first 25 titles returned from BIP for CGN004130.
1. Wandering Son
2. Wandering Son
3. But I’m a Cat Person 2
4. Maverick’s Mate
5. Wandering Son
6. Maverick’s Mate
7. Tale of the Waning Moon
8. A Bloody Kiss Tonight (Yaoi)
9. One Thousand and One Nights
10. Can’t Learn
11. Tale of the Waning Moon, Vol. 1
12. Love Quest
13. Tale of the Waning Moon
14. Wandering Son
15. No Touching at All (Yaoi)
16. One Thousand and One Nights
17. Tale of the Waning Moon, Vol. 4
18. Citrus Vol. 3
19. Mr. Flower Groom
20. Gen 11
21. Mr. Flower Bride
22. One Thousand and One Nights
23. Mr. Flower Groom
24. KIRA Inc
25. Mr. Flower Bride
Regarding your second question:
“Your query did not produce any results. Try restating your query by using more, other or broader terms.”
However, there are manga bibles which seem to cover every book, so perhaps therein?
(There is a yaoi series titled “Song of Solomon”…)
measuring everything with a bisac code tells you nothing, really. there aren’t 72,000 “active” GN titles.
it should about what is active and selling, not what has ever been published.
I have to agree with that, Torsten — there are only ~25k GNs showing in BookScan with a velocity of >0.
-B
This was all inspired by the ICV2 White Paper slide listing how many titles are being published each year, for specific categories.
Nothing was mentioned about sales, of which I have no access.
(And if I did, I couldn’t share, due to my corporate overlords.)
But let me check Books In Print…
“General Subjects (BISAC): COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / General”
(phrase searching, not BISAC subject code searching)
24,314 total titles.
In print: 17,008
Out of print: 6,393
Forthcoming: 913
“it should [be] about what is active and selling, not what has ever been published.”
EVERY book that exists can be “active and selling”.
I saw a prominent comics professional buy a copy of this at New York Comic Con:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/walt-disneys-uncle-scrooge-mcduck-carl-barks/1005080967?ean=9780890872901
I myself bought the Graphitti Designs edition of “Marvels”. (25% off the cover price)
True, those sales won’t register in BookScan, but they are sales nonetheless.
Publishers print what they think will sell.
If Manga is hot, they’ll publish lots of manga titles.
If they see kids and school and libraries buying graphic novels, they’ll publish titles for those markets.
But if you want to see what’s selling, go look at the latest New York Times bestseller lists…
10/26/2014 trade paperbacks
1 SISTERS, by Raina Telgemeier. (Scholastic.)
2 SMILE, by Raina Telgemeier. (Scholastic.)
3 AMULET: ESCAPE FROM LUCIEN, VOL. 6, by Kazu Kibuishi. (Scholastic.)
4 DRAMA, by Raina Telgemeier. (Scholastic.)
5 BATMAN, VOL. 4, by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo. (DC Comics.)
6 FAIREST, VOL. 4, by Marc Andreyko and Shawn McManus. (Vertigo.)
7 EL DEAFO, by Cece Bell. (Amulet Books.)
8 THE RISE OF AURORA WEST, by Paul Pope, JT Petty and David Rubín. (First Second Books.
9 HEROES OF OLYMPUS: BOOK ONE, by Rick Riordan, Robert Venditti and Nate Powell. (Disney-Hyperion.)
10 BATMAN 75TH ANNIVERSARY BOX SET, by various. (DC Comics.)
3 juvenile biographies
4 juvenile fiction
1 adult fantasy
2 adult superhero
The hardcover list is even more diverse.
1 BATMAN, VOL. 5, by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo. (DC Comics.)
2 THE GRAVEYARD BOOK, VOL. 2, by Neil Gaiman, P. Craig Russell and others. (HarperCollins.)
3 FABLES: THE DELUXE EDITION, BOOK NINE, by Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham and others. (Vertigo.)
4 CAN’T WE TALK ABOUT SOMETHING MORE PLEASANT?, by Roz Chast. (Bloomsbury.)
5 THE BEST AMERICAN COMICS 2014, by Scott McCloud and others. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.)
6 SUGAR SKULL, by Charles Burns. (Pantheon.)
7 SECONDS, by Bryan Lee O’Malley. (Ballantine.)
8 MEGAHEX, by Simon Hanselmann. (Fantagraphics.)
9 KILL MY MOTHER, by Jules Feiffer. (Liveright.)
10 THE GRAVEYARD BOOK, VOL. 1, by Neil Gaiman, P. Craig Russell and others. (HarperCollins.)
1 adult superhero
2 juvenile fiction
4 adult fantasy (and each is different in style)
1 memoir
1 anthology
1 literary fiction
Comments are closed.