Last year was the biggest ever for History & Military in Britain since accurate records began, with £65.6m sold through the Nielsen BookScan category, 5.2% up on 2022's previous high-water mark. That is in value terms; 2023's 4.8 million units sold was bettered in a quintet of consecutive years beginning in 2008 when the market shifted over five million copies annually.
Still, quite an achievement. And while a good portion of sales are from traditional drivers - a significant chunk of Ben Macintyre's £1.2m was from SAS Rogue Heroes and A Spy Among Friends being adapted for TV series - there is a clear link between the top history authors and podcasts.