Posted in: Comics, Current News | Tagged: Alice Oseman, graphic novel, Heartstopper

Heartstopper Just Became Britain's Fastest Selling Graphic Novel Ever

The latest Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper has become the UK’s fastest-selling graphic novel to date, selling 60,012 copies in the first 3 days.

Published Mon, 01 Jan 2024 05:57:08 -0600

by Rich Johnston

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Article Summary

Heartstopper Volume 5 is the UK's fastest-selling graphic novel ever, topping charts.
Alice Oseman ranks as the third top-selling graphic novel author in UK history.
The series success is buoyed by its popular Netflix adaptation, driving sales.
Heartstopper began as a webcomic and will conclude with the forthcoming sixth volume.

The latest instalment of Alice Oseman's LGBTQ+ young adult Heartstopper series has become the UK's fastest-selling graphic novel to date. Heartstopper Volume 5 sold 60,012 copies in the first three days after its release on the 7th of December, making it the overall best-selling book of the week in the UK across all categories by far. It sold 15,000 more copies than the second-placed book in the charts, Pinch of Nom: Express. Already, it has been named the highest-selling children's book in over two years.

Heartstopper Just Became Britain's Fastest Selling Graphic Novel Ever — Heartstopper Vol 5 by Alice Oseman

Oseman told the Guardian, "I am completely blown away by the news. Heartstopper is a story I care so much about and for it to break records is something I could never even have imagine. Heartstopper is a story that centres joy, love and queerness, and to see it embraced in this way by so many readers, young and old, gives me a real sense of hope. I am extremely grateful to all the fans who have supported me and the Heartstopper journey, it all feels incredibly special."

Oseman's latest book sold around 15,000 more copies than the second-placed book in the charts, Pinch of Nom: Express. The Heartstopper title also became the highest-selling children's book in over two years. The previous launch-week graphic novel was held by Joe Sugg, Amrit Birdi and Matt Whyman for Username: Evie, which sold nearly 14,000 copies in its first week in 2015.

Oseman has also been named the third best-selling graphic novel author in the UK since Nielsen records began in January 1998, having sold £11.5 million worth of copies. This comes in behind Alan Moore, the co-creator of Watchmen, League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, From Hell and V for Vendetta, at £13.1 million, and Robert Kirkman, co-creator of The Walking Dead and Invincible, at £15.2 million. It is likely that Oseman will topple them both. The first four volumes of Heartstopper are the four bestselling graphic novels in the UK of all.

Philip Stone, who works for Nielsen BookData, the company that publishes the UK book chart, tells the Guardian that "sales of graphic novels have boomed in recent years, helped by the popularity of adaptations on both the big and small screens. None more so than Heartstopper, the adaptation of which has become a global hit, earning rave reviews from critics and audiences alike, and propelling a boost in sales for its source material." Heartstopper has had two live-action series adapted for Netflix.

The Heartstopper series was a webcomic, self-published to Tumblr and Tapas, and was begun during the final year of her English degree, and she crowdfunded a small print-run, a copy of which recently sold for over $300. Hachette Children's Group published the first collected volume in 2019. The upcoming sixth part of the Heartstopper series will be the final volume.

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