Sales of adult trade books rose 10.3% in August 2016 over August 2015, but sales of children’s/young adult titles slipped 1.3%, according to figures released by the Association of American Publishers as part of its StatShot program. Sales in all formats in adult trade increased in the month, with the exception of e-books, where sales dropped 14.2%. The decline in children’s/young adult sales in August was due to a 4.9% decline in hardcover sales and a 38.6% drop in e-book sales. For the first eight months of 2016, sales of adult trade titles fell 1.5% compared to the same period in 2015. In the period, sales of downloadable audio were up 28.6%, while the biggest decline came in e-book sales, which fell 16.9%. Sales in the children’s/YA category fell 5% in the first eight months of 2016, as declines of 34.7% and 8.7% in e-books and board books, respectively, offset a 17.2% increase in hardcover sales. Overall, for the 1,208 publishers who report sales to AAP, revenue was down 2.8% in August and was off 6.7% in the year to date.
| Category | Change August | YTD |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Hard | 35.4% | -2.6% |
| Adult Paper | 12.5% | 9.5% |
| Mass Market | 22.5% | 2.0% |
| Physical Audio | 7.8% | -9.2% |
| Audio Download | 14.6% | 28.6% |
| Adult E-book | -14.2% | -16.9% |
| Children’s/YA | -1.3% | 5.0% |
| Religious Presses | 4.1% | 6.7% |
| Professional | -27.9% | -20.8% |
| K–12 Materials | -0.8% | -7.0% |
| Higher Ed. | -8.0% | -14.3% |
| University Presses | -5.2% | -4.2% |
(Comparisons of $ sales against same periods in 2015)
