'Project Hail Mary' Tops May's Trending Books... No Children's Day Sales Spike

Book Information Network Compiles May Sales Data

Total Sales Reach 135.9 Billion Won, Down 6.9% from Previous Month

"Common Brothers 22" Tops Children, Youth, and Educational Categories

The Korea Publishing and Culture Industry Promotion Agency announced on the 11th that it had released the "Top 200 Trending Books for May" through the Integrated Book Distribution Information Network. The rankings were calculated based on May sales data provided by Kyobo Book Centre, Yes24, Aladin, Youngpoong Bookstore, and 433 local bookstores nationwide.

The best-selling book in May was Andy Weir's science fiction novel "Project Hail Mary." Originally published in 2021, the book regained attention after the release of the movie with the same title in March, securing the top spot. Following it, "Common Siblings 22" ranked second.

The best-selling book in May was Andy Weir's sci-fi novel Project Hail Mary. Originally published in 2021, this book regained attention and rose to number one following the release of its movie adaptation with the same title in March. It was followed by Common Brothers 22, Han Roro's novel Grapefruit Apricot Club, news anchor Kim Jin's Knowledge Briefing for Dignified Conversations, and Kim Aeran's I Said Goodbye, which ranked second to fifth, respectively.

Books published some time ago also showed a resurgence in sales. Yang Gwija's Contradiction and Jeong Daegun's Rapids ranked within the top 20. Nietzsche's Transcender by Kim Cheol, who gained recognition through YouTube, and Ja Cheong's new release The Perfect Primitive Man were also included among the top-sellers.

Total book sales in May amounted to 135.9 billion won. This figure represents a 6.9% decrease compared to the previous month's 146.0 billion won, but a 2.0% increase compared to 137.0 billion won in May of the previous year.

In the children, youth, and educational categories, Common Brothers 22 took the top spot. It was followed by Pokémon Ecological Encyclopedia, Baek Heena's new book Holehead, and Nobumi's Mom Has Become a Ghost! Mom Has Become a Ghost! was highlighted as a case of renewed attention through YouTube and social media, ten years after its publication.

However, the Children's Day sales boost was not clearly observed. Sales in the children, youth, and educational categories from April 22 to May 5, the two weeks leading up to Children's Day, totaled approximately 19.86 billion won, which is a 2.4% increase from 19.39 billion won during the same period last year.

An official from the Book Information Network explained, "Although there was a slight increase compared to last year, considering that the two-week average sales for this category are 22.1 billion won, there was no clear sign of a Children's Day sales spike."

The Korea Publishing and Culture Industry Promotion Agency announces the "Top 200 Trending Books" around the 10th of every month. Detailed analysis data is released at the end of the month through the Book Information Network's "Sales Data Report."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.