Nielsen BookScan’s top 15 lists for 2016 show powerhouse authors taking the top spots in the adult fiction, adult nonfiction, and juvenile categories. First among equals was J.K. Rowling, whose Harry Potter and the Cursed Child sold 4.4 million copies last year, bettering Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard’s Killing the Rising Sun, the top seller in the adult nonfiction category, by more than four times and selling almost five times as many copies as Paula Hawkins’s The Girl on the Train.

Nielsen BookScan Adult Fiction Top 15

Rank Title Author Imprint Units Format
1 The Girl on the Train Paula Hawkins Riverhead 954,735 Trade paper
2 A Man Called Ove Fredrik Backman Washington Square 712,283 Trade paper
3 The Whistler John Grisham Doubleday 662,919 Hardcover
4 Me Before You Jojo Moyes Penguin 549,301 Trade paper
5 Me Before You Jojo Moyes Penguin 421,592 Mass market movie tie-in
6 Two by Two Nicholas Sparks Grand Central 419,016 Hardcover
7 The Girl on the Train Paula Hawkins Riverhead 398,480 Mass market movie tie-in
8 To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee Grand Central 388,120 Mass market
9 Me Before You Jojo Moyes Penguin 383,214 Trade paper movie tie-in
10 All the Light We Cannot See Anthony Doerr Scribner 366,431 Hardcover
11 The Girl On the Train Paula Hawkins Riverhead 343,581 Trade paper movie tie-in
12 The Alchemist Paulo Coelho HarperOne 328,429 Trade paper
13 The Girl on the Train Paula Hawkins Riverhead 323,735 Hardcover
14 Rogue Lawyer John Grisham Dell 300,924 Mass market
15 The Nightingale Kristin Hannah St. Martin’s 300,408 Hardcover

Nielsen BookScan Adult Nonfiction Top 15

Rank Title Author Imprint Units Format
1 Killing the Rising Sun O’Reilly/Dugard Holt 1,104,389 Hardcover
2 The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up Marie Kondo Ten Speed 638,148 Hardcover
3 The Magnolia Story Gaines/Gaines W 630,558 Hardcover
4 Strengths Finder 2.0 Tom Rath Gallup 533,253 Hardcover
5 Jesus Calling Sarah Young Thomas Nelson 515,048 Hardcover
6 When Breath Becomes Air Paul Kalanithi Random House 503,686 Hardcover
7 Born to Run Bruce Springsteen Simon & Schuster 493,705 Hardcover
8 Milk and Honey Rupi Kaur Andrews McMeel 483,380 Trade paper
9 Alexander Hamilton Ron Chernow Penguin 479,077 Trade paper
10 You Are a Badass Jen Sincero Running Press 457,794 Trade paper
11 Jesus Always Sarah Young Thomas Nelson 456,841 Hardcover
12 The 5 Love Languages Gary Chapman Northfield 442,779 Trade paper
13 Harry Potter Coloring Book Scholastic 435,410 Trade paper
14 Hamilton: The Revolution Lin-Manuel Miranda Grand Central 419,591 Hardcover
15 Hillbilly Elegy J.D. Vance Harper 414,420 Hardcover

Nielsen BookScan Juvenile Top 15

Rank Title Author Imprint Units Format
1 Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts 1 and 2 J.K. Rowling et al Scholastic/Levine 4,453,382 Hardcover
2 Double Down: Diary of a Wimpy Kid #11 Jeff Kinney Amulet 1,135,249 Hardcover
3 Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children Ransom Riggs Quirk 663,040 Trade paper
4 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them J.K. Rowling Scholastic/Levine 659,172 Hardcover
5 First 100 Words Roger Priddy Priddy 591,817 Board book
6 Oh, the Places You’ll Go! Dr. Seuss Random House 585,284 Hardcover
7 Old School: Diary of a Wimpy Kid #10 Jeff Kinney Amulet 486,544 Hardcover
8 Goodnight Moon Brown/Hurd HarperFestival 411,365 Board book
9 Pokémon Deluxe Essential Handbook Scholastic 407,422 Trade paper
10 The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eric Carle Philomel 399,359 Board book
11 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone J.K. Rowling Scholastic/Levine 396,948 Trade paper
12 Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Martin/Carle Holt 390,620 Board book
13 Giraffes Can’t Dance Andreae/Parker-Rees Cartwheel 366,555 Board book
14 Green Eggs and Ham Dr. Seuss Random House 364,977 Hardcover
15 Wonder R.J. Palacio Knopf 359,660 Hardcover