Due to the shifting social climate of 2020, millions of people found themselves with more free time than ever. And thanks to that free time, many of those people turned to their oft-neglected bookshelves.

The year saw record-breaking increases in readership, as well as book sales. Despite many booksellers being closed down for the majority of 2020, printed book sales in the United States saw their biggest increase since 2010. Meanwhile, in the U.K., book sales shot up by an amazing 5.5% from the amount sold in 2019. And in Japan, book sales generated roughly 15 billion USD in 2020.

Now that the year has ended, one question looms large in the minds of many. Will these numbers carry over into 2021? In order to potentially answer this question, it is important to look at some factors that led to so many people renewing their interest in reading.

Shutdown mandates went into effect in March 2020 among the rising pandemic. With many businesses closed or forced to move to a ‘work from home’ model, people no longer had to dedicate the majority of their time to being in an office, servicing customers, or commuting. This quarantine period allowed for a greater focus on leisure time activities that had been otherwise neglected due to professional and personal obligations. And this focus gave people the realization that they could spend their free time in more fulfilling ways, such as picking up a good book.

The somewhat turbulent political and racial climate of 2020 led to more people actively reading in order to stay well-informed. By October of last year, sales of political titles in print were up by 85% from 2019.

Meanwhile, the birth of the Black Lives Matter movement gave rise to a number of important cultural conversations. Sales of books about anti-racism helped to drive big gains in the wake of discussions about police behavior toward the African American community.

As the quarantine took effect, many schools were shut down. Parents were left to figure out ways to not only continue their children’s educations at home, but to also keep them occupied and entertained. Because of this, sales of educational and activity books increased by a large amount in 2020, with a 66% rise in kids’ nonfiction seen by the end of March.

These factors have not only brought about the biggest increase in book sales in a decade, but they’ve already begun to influence sales for 2021. Books in the nonfiction, adult fiction, self-help, and cooking categories have seen sales figures higher than those posted around this time last year. The last year has seen sweeping changes in people’s view of education, politics, leisure time, and cultural perceptions, thanks in large part to the books they’ve read. And in a time when it is needed the most, one piece of good news stands out for readers everywhere: the upward trend of 2020 seems poised to continue well into this year.

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