[Bookstore Buzz] Bestselling the Moment It’s Released…Collection of Works That Captured Their 30s from the “Young Writer Award” Winner—Popular as a Movie Adaptation Novel

A Signal of a Generational Shift in the Literary World, “The 17th Young Writer Award”a Power Surge and an SF Master “Andy Weir”’s Solo Run

A youthful wave is sweeping through the literary world. This year’s release, “The 17th Young Writer Award Winners’ Works Collection”, has secured a firm spot near the top of the bestseller charts, winning full support from readers in their 30s.

According to the bestseller rankings for the second week of April announced by Kyobo Bookstore on the 17th, the collection entered directly at No. 7 overall upon its release. The Young Writer Award, hosted by Munhakdongne, is given by selecting seven of the most outstanding short- and mid-length fiction works among writers who have been debuted for 10 years or less. Each year, the winners’ works collection carefully curates outstanding titles and publishes them, building a deep, devoted fan base and drawing attention immediately after release.

This year, a total of seven works were included, including the featured author Kim Chae-won’s “Three Stars Fall”. Kyobo Bookstore’s sales data analysis showed that among all purchasers, those in their 30s accounted for the largest share at 37.2%. Next came their 40s (22.5%) and their 20s (22.4%). By gender, female readers were about twice as many as male readers, confirming overwhelming support from younger women.

Meanwhile, this week’s No. 1 bestseller was Andy Weir’s SF novel “Project Hail Mary”, which held its ground at the top for the fourth consecutive week. Riding on the buzz of a movie-adaptation novel, the so-called “space trilogy”—including “Artemis” (No. 15) and “The Martian” (No. 26)—sparked a simultaneous resurgence in popularity.

◇ Kyobo Bookstore’s April Week 2 Bestseller Rankings (based on sales from April 8–15)

1. Project Hail Mary (Andy Weir · RHK Korea)
2. Goethe Said Everything (Yui Suzuki · Reef)
3. If There’s Love, You’re Alive (Yoo Si-min · Eunbit)
4. The Bare Minimum Thoughts for Life (Shin Young-jun · Imagine Square)
5. Perfectly Primitive (Ja Cheong · Philotic)
6. Grapefruit Apricot Club (Han Ro-ro · Authentic)
7. The 17th Young Writer Award Winners’ Works Collection (Kim Chae-won · Munhakdongne)
8. Live as the Buddha Said (Tony Fernando · Wilma)
9. My Perfect Funeral (Jo Hyun-seon · Book Romance)
10. Contradictions (Yang Gu-ja · Tsuda)