2 Bestselling Poetry Books

Period: November/December - 2023

Celebrating Black stories and authors since 1998, the AALBC Bestsellers List is now published quarterly. Here’s a printable list and collage of this period’s titles. Also check out the BLK Bestsellers—the definitive monthly guide to America’s bestselling books by Black writers.

Fiction:
Parable of the Talents is the #1 book for this period. The alarmingly prescient science fiction novel by Octavia E. Butler was first published in 1998 and is the sequel to Parable of the Sower. Both books are bestsellers for all of 2023, making Butler the only author to hold that distinction this year.

Nonfiction:
The Invisible Ache: Black Men Identifying Their Pain and Reclaiming Their Power by Robin L. Smith and Courtney B. Vance is not only the #1 bestselling nonfiction book for this period it is also the number #1 book for the year—and it wasn’t published until Nov 7, 2023!

Children’s Books:
#1 New York Times bestselling author Kwame Alexander describes the #1 Childrens book Jelani’s Key by D. Amari Jackson as “Dramatic, daring, and authentic, Jelani’s Key is a page-turning epic chock full of culture, history, and all the things that will enlighten and inspire young readers.”

Poetry:
1919 by Eve L. Ewing tops all Poetry book sales this period.