Exclusive Books Fanatics programme turns 20

©Dmitriy Shironosov via 123RF

In celebration of the milestone, Exclusive Books will be rewarding these loyal bibliophiles with double points for the entire month of September – the equivalent of 10% back on members’ spend – something it’s never done before.

“The Exclusive Books Fanatics programme has reached a major milestone,” says CEO of Exclusive Books, Benjamin Trisk. “Over the years, the mechanics of the programme haven't changed – we still offer, in non-birthday months, the equivalent of 5% back on our members’ spend, which makes Fanatics one of the most generous loyalty programmes in the country – but the impact of Fanatics has become progressively more and more substantial.”

Top titles

Fanatics members’ top titles from the last 10 years:

• 2007 was The Year that the ‘loss’ of Harry warred with the politics of rugby when sales of In Black and White by Jake White almost doubled those of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows.

• 2008, dubbed The Year of Secrets and Spuds saw John van de Ruit’s Spud and Rhonda Byrne’s The Secret go neck-and-neck.

• 2009 is The Year that Edward battled Lisbeth when the Twilight series lost an epic best-seller battle to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

• 2010 was The Year of New Beginnings and One Last time when The Elephant Whisperer narrowly beat Eat Pray Love.

• 2011 was The Year that SA beat the USA in the polls with Killing Kebble topping the sales charts – even beating out Steve Jobs, the biography.

• 2012 blushed when it was dubbed The Year that Sadism Beat Survival as the 50 Shades of Grey series quite literally beat the Hunger Games trilogy into submission on the shelves.

• 2013 became known as The Year of Centenaries and Serial Killers. The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared marginally outsold Cape Town author Lauren Beukes’ The Shining Girls.

• Interestingly, 2014, The Year that Carbs Went to Court and a Legend was Remembered, saw The Real Meal Revolution not only outsell Good Morning Mr. Mandela, but become the highest selling book of the last decade. This goes to show how health and wellness can trump even the most engrossing reads.

• 2016 celebrated four tomes, all local – one being Born a Crime, one Not Without a Fight, and there was also Rogue – The Inside Story of SARS's Elite Crime-busting Unit, which explored the misery of state capture. Fortunately, the Book of Joy saw the year end on a happier note.

“Think of the number of books our members have been able to purchase with their points over the past two decades,” said Trisk. “Think of the number of words read, the numbers of stories told. It's a staggering amount, and we're extremely proud to have been part of this amazing South African book lovers' story. Here's to the next 20 years of Fanatics.”