Sales in the children’s/young adult book segment rose 20.8% in 2014 over 2013, hitting $1.89 billion, according to sales data supplied by publishers to the Association of American Publishers’ StatShot program. The segment had the strongest gains of all publishing segments last year and benefited from a number of blockbuster titles, including the Divergent trilogy.
The bestselling format last year was e-books, where sales jumped 33.6%, to $227.3 million; e-books accounted for 12.0% of segment sales, up from 10.9% in 2013. The board book segment had a good year as well with sales up 33.0%. Paperback sales rose 24.4% and hardcover sales increased 15.0%. (For a look at how the overall industry fared in 2014, click here.)
