Unit Sales Down 1% Compared to 2016

At outlets that report to NPD BookScan, unit sales of print books were 1% lower in the week ended Sept. 3, 2017, than in the comparable week in 2016. Once again, juvenile nonfiction was the only one of the four major categories to post an increase in sales over the week ended Sept. 4, 2016; units were 8% higher. The increase was partly due to the release of two new titles. Bernie Sanders Guide to Political Revolution by Bernie Sanders sold more than 8,000 copies in its first week, and The Freddy Files by Scott Cawthon sold more than 6,000, putting them first and second on the juvenile nonfiction bestseller list. Unit sales in juvenile fiction were 0.5% lower than in 2016, the segment’s best showing since July, when comparisons with J.K. Rowling’s July 2016 blockbuster, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, began. It was a good week for Scholastic titles: three new books released by the publisher were among the segment’s top 10 bestsellers. Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man: A Tale of Two Kitties was #1 in the segment, selling almost 44,000 copies. I Survived the American Revolution by Lauren Tarshis sold more than 10,000 copies in its first week, and Aaron Blabey’s The Bad Guys in Attack of the Zittens sold nearly 8,000 copies. There were no new titles high on the adult nonfiction bestseller list, and units were down 1% compared to the similar week in 2016. Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur stayed at #1 on the category list, selling more than 16,000 copies. Print units were 4% lower than last year in adult fiction despite two new books heading the segment’s bestseller list. Glass Houses by Louise Penny was #1, selling more than 38,000 copies, and The Right Time by Danielle Steel was in second place, selling more than 27,000 copies.

Unit Sales of Print Books by Channel

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Unit Sales of Print Books by Category

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Unit Sales of Print Books by Format

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