During the first and second quarter of the project, the team explored titles which had been published in the last 12–24 months. But for the third quarter, the metrics tightened: books were limited to titles published within the last 6–12 months. Guy LeCharles Gonzalez, Project Lead for Panorama Picks, said the decision to look at more recently published titles was in part to really reach indie bookstores—the closer the books to their initial publication date, the more likely those books could be acquired and stocked and/or books already on their shelves could be highlighted more prominently. Panorama Picks selects their top 25 titles in each of the nine regions used by independent bookstores, using aggregated and anonymous ebook borrower data. This, of course, limited the pool of titles, but it’s this niche that provides the opportunity: indie bookstores, as well as libraries, can highlight the titles available in print that readers might be waiting for long periods to borrow via ebook and/or those indie bookstores can highlight the ability to purchase those titles through them. These top picks indicate that there is a lack of ebook availability relative to interest from borrowers. These are titles that are popular in a region that have unmet need. Panorama divides their most popular books in libraries data into three different sets: adult fiction, adult nonfiction, and young adult.

Panorama looks nationwide at ebook requests, identifying the top ten books in each category by total holds.

Those top ten nationwide books are weeded out of the lists created by region.

The remaining top 50 books by region are identified by total holds and available copies to serve that demand. Ebooks that don’t have a print edition—books that are only available digitally—are pulled from the results. The top 25 books from this analysis—those with high demand and limited availability—are pulled out.

What makes this quarter’s top titles most fascinating is that it’s the last quarter to include ebooks from all publishers. With Macmillan changing their borrowing terms with libraries—creating an embargo on titles for the first eight weeks of a book’s publication that allows libraries only one copy of the title in that time frame—it’s certain that these lists will look very different at the end of the year. But more than that, it’s work like that being done by Panorama Picks that indie bookstores and libraries can use to both meet demand and show publishers like Macmillan that ebook use by library patrons doesn’t harm the income of authors. Indeed, lists like these show just how important library ebooks are for discoverability and popularity of mid-list authors who might otherwise not see huge budgets or marketing from their publishers. 

There were a total of 74 unique titles identified as the most popular across all regions, including Dear Evan Hansen, which was among the top ten titles. Though it would normally be excluded, there is an unusually unique holds to available copies ratio, indicating there is unmet demand for this particular title. A total of 27 titles appear only on one regional list, with Hawaii having 13 unique titles on its list (including three unique titles by author Tara Sim).

Because of the number of books ranking among the most popular across all regions, there are 11 on this list. The numbers in parenthesis represent the number of regions where that title is among the top titles—three of the below are top titles in every region. These books represent popular titles nation-wide that could hold potential for libraries and indie bookstores, as noted above. 

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan (9) The Lost Sisters by Holly Black* (9) Lovely War by Julie Berry (9) Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte (8) The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm by Christopher Paolini (8) Field Notes on Love by Jennifer E. Smith (8) Internment by Samira Ahmed (7) The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab+ (8) Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds (7) Prince Charming by Rachel Hawkins (7) The Stars Below by David Baldacci (7)

*This title is only available as an ebook. +Though this book is outside the 12 month publishing window Panorama limits its data to, it was reissued in 2019 with a new cover and likely has seen renewed interest due to that and Schwab’s popularity. ^Indicates a Macmillan title. This data set includes no Macmillan titles.

Prince Charming by Rachel Hawkins Bloom by Kevin Panetta On A Sunbeam by Tillie Walden The Music of What Happens by Bill Konigsberg The Warrior Maiden by Melanie Dickerson Bloodleaf by Crystal Smith Field Notes on Love by Jennifer E. Smith Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Volume 1 by Brian Michael Bendis The Lovely War by Julie Berry The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

The Top 10 Most Popular YA Books in Libraries by Region: Hawaii

The Fork, The Witch, and the Worm by Christopher Paolini Timekeeper by Tara Sim Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte The Lovely War by Julie Berry The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout Courting Darkness by Robin LaFevers Damsel by Elana K. Arnold Grim Lovelies by Megan Shepherd

Bloom by Kevin Panetta The Stars Below by David Baldacci The Essay by Robin Yocum Warrior of the Wild by Tricia Levenseller Field Notes on Love by Jennifer E. Smith The Music of What Happens by Bill Konigsberg The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas Bloodleaf by Crystal Smith Come Find Me by Megan Miranda

 

Bloom by Kevin Panetta Prince Charming by Rachel Hawkins The Stars Below by David Baldacci The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab Pretend She’s Here by Luanne Rice The Deceiver’s Heart by Jennifer Nielsen The Lovely War by Julie Berry Only A Breath Apart by Katie McGarry Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich

The Deceiver’s Heart by Jennifer Nielsen Bloom by Kevin Panetta The Warrior Maiden by Melanie Dickerson The Queen’s Shadow by EK Johnston Field Notes on Love by Jennifer E. Smith The Fork, The Witch, and The Worm by Christopher Paolini The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab Deathcaster by Cinda Williams Chuma Prince Charming by Rachel Hawkins The Stars Below by David Baldacci

Prince Charming by Rachel Hawkins Field Notes on Love by Jennifer E. Smith The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab The Queen’s Shadow by EK Johnston Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich The Stars Below by David Baldacci The Lovely War by Julie Berry The Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds Once and Future by Cori McCarthy and Amy Rose Capetta

 

Prince Charming by Rachel Hawkins Field Notes on Love by Jennifer E. Smith The Queen’s Shadow by EK Johnston The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas Once and Future by Cori McCarthy and Amy Rose Capetta The Lovely War by Julie Berry Bloodwitch by Susan Dennard The Lost Sisters by Holly Black The Stars Below by David Baldacci

 

On A Sunbeam by Tillie Walden Bloom by Kevin Panetta Once and Future by Cori McCarthy and Amy Rose Capetta The Lost Sisters by Holly Black Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte Field Notes on Love by Jennifer E. Smith The Deceiver’s Heart by Jennifer Nielsen The Fork, The Witch, and The Worm by Christopher Paolini We Are Displaced by Malala Yousafzai

Field Notes on Love by Jennifer E. Smith The Lovely War by Julie Berry Prince Charming by Rachel Hawkins The Fork, The Witch, and The Worm by Christopher Paolini The Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds The Stars Below by David Baldacci The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich Deathcaster by Cinda Williams Chima Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

 

Because of how many of the adult titles were popular across numerous lists, the top ten list is actually a top 15. The numbers in parenthesis represent the number of regions where that title is among the top titles—six of the below are top titles in every region. These books represent popular titles nationwide that could hold potential for libraries and indie bookstores, as noted above.  Across the nine regions, there were a total of 74 unique titles identified as popular, and of those, 27 appeared only once. Hawaii had 13 of those titles.

American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson (9) The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo^ (9) The Only Woman In The Room by Marie Benedict (9) The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See (9) The Gown by Jennifer Robson (9) Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield (9) The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer (8) A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Ram (8) The River by Peter Heller (8) The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samatha Shannon (8) My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite (8) My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing (8) My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauren (8) The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory (8) Wild Card by Stuart Woods (8)

^Indicates a Macmillan title. This data set includes one Macmillan titles.  

The Rosie Result by Graeme Simsion The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite The Other Americans by Laila Lalami The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon The Night Tiger by Tangsze Choo A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See The Only Woman In The Room by Marie Benedict

 

American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson Stone Cold Heart by Laura Griffin Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik The River by Peter Heller In Her Sights by Katie Ruggle Any Man of Mine: A 2-in-1 Collection by Diana Palmer The Only Woman In The Room by Marie Benedict The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie Bad Bachelors Bundle by Stefaniie London Deep Harbor by Fern Michaels

The Handmaid’s Tale (graphic novel) by Margaret Atwood The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer The German Midwife by Mandy Robotham The Secret Orphan by Glynis Peters American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson The Rosie Result Graeme Simsion The Only Woman In The Room by Marie Benedict The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum

The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer The Secret Orphan by Glynis Peters The Rosie Result by Graeme Simsion American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum The Cliff House by RaeAnne Thayne My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing The Only Woman In The Room by Marie Benedict The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See The River by Peter Heller

The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer The Rosie Result by Graeme Simsion The River by Peter Heller My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauren A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum The Cliff House by RaeAnne Thayne The Night Tige by Yangsze Choo My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon Wolf Pack by CJ Box

The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer The Secret Orphan by Glynis Peters The Rosie Result by Graeme Simsion American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum The Cliff House by RaeAnne Thayne My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing The Only Woman In The Room by Marie Benedict The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See The River by Peter Heller

The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer The Rosie Result by Graeme Simsion My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See The Cliff House by RaeAnne Thayne

The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer The Rosie Result by Graeme Simsion American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauren The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing The Cliff House by RaeAnn Thayne

 

The Handmaid’s Tale (graphic novel) by Margaret Atwood The Secret Orphan by Glynis Peters The Rosie Result by Graeme Simsion My Sister, The Seial Killer by Oyinkan Simsion The Priory of the Orange tree by Samantha Shannong American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson The River by Peter Heller Tiamat’s Wrath by James SA Corey Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo

The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimme American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum The Only Woman In The Room by Marie Benedict My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauen

 

Because of how many of the adult titles were popular across numerous lists, the top ten list is actually a top 12. The numbers in parenthesis represent the number of regions where that title is among the top titles—six of the below are top titles in every region. These books represent popular titles nation-wide that could hold potential for libraries and indie bookstores, as noted above.  Across the nine regions, there were a total of 69 unique titles identified as popular, and of those, 25 appeared only once. Hawaii and New Atlantic regions each had 6 of those once-appearing titles.

Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport Burnout by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski Keto Diet by Josh Axe The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carrroll Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez Eight Dates by John Gottman The Montessori Toddler by Simone Davies Eat to Beat Disease by William W. Li Undo It! by Dean Ornish The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells Medical Medium Liver Rescue by Anthony William

^Indicates a Macmillan title. This data set includes no Macmillan titles.  

Walkabout Northern California by Tom Courttney Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez The Secret Wisdom of Nature by Petter Wohlleben Can’t Hurtt Me by David Goggins The Montessori Toddler by Simone Davies Keto Diet by Josh Axe Blueprint by Nicholas A. Christakis Sissy by Jacos Tobia Eight Dates by Josh Gottman Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport

The Top 10 Most Popular Adult Nonfiction Books in Libraries by Region: Hawaii

The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carroll Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport Outer Order, Inner Calm by Gretchen Rubin Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins Undo It! by Dean Ornish Medical Medium Liver Rescue by Anthony William The Path Made Clear by Oprah Winifrey Aloha Kitchen by Alana Kysar The 30-Day Money Cleanse by Ashley Feinstein Gerstley Eight Dates by John Gottman

 

Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez Millionaire Success Habits by Dean Graziosi Can’t Hurt Me by David Groggins Dark Agenda by David Horowitz The Universal Christ by Richard Rohr The 30-Day Money Cleanse by Ashley Feinstein Gerstley The Montessori Toddler by Simone Davies Keto Diet by Josh Axe Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport Burnout by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski

 

Invisible Women by Carolina Criado Perez Keto Diet by Josh Axe Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport Eight Dates by Josh Gottman The Montessori Toddler by Simone Davies Burnout by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carroll The Universal Christ by Richard Rohr Eat to Beat Disease by William W. Li

A Case for the Book of Mormon by Tad R. Callister Silent Souls Weeping: Depression by Jane Clayson Gerstley Instant Loss Cookbook by Brittany Williams Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins Keto Diet by Josh Axe Eight Dates by Josh Gottman Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport The Universal Christ by Richard Rohr The Happiness Project, Tenth Anniversary Edition by Gretchen Rubin

Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez The Source of Self-Regard by Toni Morrison Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins The 30-Day Money Cleanse by Ashley Feinstein Gerstley Burnout by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells The Montessori Toddler by Simone Davies Nine Pints by Rose George Spies of No Country by Matt Friedman See You In The Piazza by Frances Mayes

The Salt Path by Raynor Winn Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez Can’t Hurt Me by Davd Goggins The 30-Day Money Cleanse by Ashley Feinstein Gerstley Keto Diet by Josh Axe The F*ck It Diet by Caroline Dooner The 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma Burnout by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski The Plant Paradox Quick and Easy by Dr. Stephen R. Gundry Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport

 

Playing with FIRER (Financial Independence Retire Early) by Scott Rieckens Eight Dates by Josh Gottman The F*ck It Diet by Caroline Dooner Invisible Women by Carolina Criado Perez Blueprint by Nicholas A. Christakis The Making of a Manager by Julie Zhuo Burnout by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski Horizon by Barry Lopez The Salt Path by Raynor Winn The Hormone Fix by Anna Cabeca

Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins The 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carroll The Universal Christ by Richard Rohr Keto Diet by Josh Axe The Montessori Toddler by Simone Davies Burnout by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Negoski The Hormone Fix by Anna Cabeca

 

What To Do With This Information

Seeing these lists monthly is interesting. But more than that, it’s information that’s actionable. If you work in a library or in an independent bookstore, use these lists for developing reader’s advisory tools. Book displays would be especially powerful, encouraging readers to pick up the print book and borrow or purchase it, noting that it’s a title in high demand locally. Where possible for libraries, purchase additional copies of ebooks in demand. The lists are determined by a high holds to available copies ratio, meaning there’s an especially unique opportunity to serve patron demand. Bookstores should check stock and ensure ample copies of in-demand titles are plentiful. Likewise, if your website permits, create lists with links to purchase those titles. Panorama Picks offers up a deeper look at popularity—and it can be a real boon for discovering highly regional titles (see, for example, the top pick in California being a title about the California outdoors). The possibilities for using this information both for your patrons and for your stakeholders are immense.

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