Sales of British authors’ books at Bookest 2019 have registered a positive balance, as UK has been guest of honour of the renowned international book salon this year. UK has hosted 50 events, with 10 authors and 4 experts from the publishing and creative industries invited.
Among the best-selling British authors at Bookest there were Ross Welford, Sarah Perry, Claire North, Fiona Mozley, Eugen Ovidiu Chirovici and Arabella McIntyre-Brown.
The Carturesti stall has been quite a smash on the British-language books.
“Bookfest 2019 has (re)confirmed the importance of book in the local cultural life and in the day-to-day consumer habits. Despite the hostile weather, the edition of this year has risen to the expectations and confirmed the visitors’ interest in the English-language book. Almost 1,000 titles have been up for sale at UK’s stall this year, in an attempt to reproduce, on a small scale, the diversity of the UK & Commonwealth literature. Most the of the invited authors were already translated in Romanian (Sarah Perry, Claire North, Ross Welford, Claire Mackintosh, Arabella McIntyre Brown). I consider that Bookfest 2019 has been a successful experience for Carturesti. Therefore, we’ll organise an <English Corner> event dedicated to the invited guests and to the English literature offer in our stores in the upcoming period,” said Raul Pavel, project manager Cărturești.
The top five best-selling authors in Carturesti bookstore within the UK stall at Bookfest: George Orwell, Claire North, Ross Welford, Virginia Woolf and J.K Rowling.
The top five best-selling titles: George Orwell, with Notes on Nationalism, Claire North, with First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, Fiona Mozley, with Elmet, Heather Morris, with The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Stephen Hawking, with Brief Answers to the Big Questions.
British authors’ books translated in Romanian have also topped sales of the Romanian publishing houses.
The two books by Ross Welford recently released as a first in Romanian language are topping the sales of the publishing houses: Time Travelling With A Hamster, translated by Simona Neagu, released by Corint publishing houses, has ranked second in the general top of sales, while The 1,000-year-old Boy (translated by Aurelia Ulici) has been the best-selling book for children at Bookfest 2019.
Melmoth, the latest translated book of Sarah Perry, a novel dubbed by The Guardian as “a masterpiece of the post-modern Gothic novel”, recently translated in Romania, has ranked 10th on the best-selling titles at Nemira Publishing House (translation by Ioana Văcărescu). The book is actually continuing the public success of Sarah Perry’s first book, The Essex Serpent, awarded the book of the year at the British Book Awards 2017.
The books having David McKee’s lovely elephant Elmer as main character, which celebrated its 30th anniversary at Bookfest, has also been among the best-selling titles of Pandora M Publishing House, Trei Editorial Group.
Clare Mackintosh’s books also released at Trei publishing house, I Let You Go, I See You and Let Me Lie, have also caught the readers’ attention. A former police officer, Clare Mackintosh has attended Bookfest, meeting her fans at the Bookfest stall.
Eugen Ovidiu Chirovici, the Romanian-born authors settled in UK, has also met readers at Bookfest. His latest books, The Book of Mirrors and The Book of Secrets, published by RAO, have ranked second in the publishing houses’ top sales.
British writer established in Romania, Arabella McIntyre Brown, has been also present at Bookfest with her book Din Liverpool în Carpați.
“It is delightful that Romanians have taken such an interest. I did notice last week that both the Carturesti stall on the UK stand, and my publishers (Editura ALL) had sold out of my book very fast.
To be in such good company among bestselling UK authors is a reward in itself. Thanks to the British Council for such a great programme and a spectacular stand, and to the panel and audience at my event, for their enthusiasm and support,” Arabella McIntyre Brown told Romania Journal.
The Romanian editions of Claire North, winner of the World Fantasy Award 2017 and nominated to various other prizes, including the Arthur C. Clarke Award, have also enjoyed success at Bookfest: The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August and Touch, released at Paladin Publishing House, part of ART Editorial Group.
Other books enjoying consistent sales: Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan (Polirom), The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy (Humanitas Fiction), Swing Time, by Zadie Smith (Litera), Patrick Melrose by Edward St Aubyn (Litera) or Happiness by Aminata Forna (Vellant).