New Books Drive 5% Gain in Sales in Early October

New books from Dan Brown and Rupi Kaur and a new edition of a Harry Potter title all contributed to print-unit sales that were 5% higher in the week ended Oct. 8, 2017, than in the comparable week in 2016, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. The top-selling title in the week was Brown’s Origin, which sold almost 145,000 copies in its first week on sale, helping to bring sales in the adult fiction segment up 1% from the week ended Oct. 9, 2016. A new Debbie Macomber book, Merry and Bright, sold almost 15,000 copies in its first week, landing it in the seventh spot on the category bestseller list. Kaur’s The Sun and Her Flowers, the follow-up to her bestselling Milk and Honey, sold more than 78,000 copies in its first week out, making it the #1 seller on the adult nonfiction bestseller list. We Were Eight Years in Power by Ta-Nehisi Coates debuted at the fourth spot on the category bestseller list, selling nearly 29,000 copies. Topping the juvenile fiction bestseller list was Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: The Illustrated Edition by J.K. Rowling and Jim Kay, which sold more than 89,000 copies in its first week on sale. Rick Riordan’s The Ship of the Dead was #2 on the juvenile fiction list, selling more than 57,000 copies in its first week out. Unit sales in the juvenile nonfiction category were 9% higher than in the similar week in 2016. Three of the top 10 bestselling books in the week were new. Jojo Siwa’s Jojo’s Guide to the Sweet Life was #1 on the category list, selling more than 7,000 copies. The team of Brad Meltzer and Christopher Eliopoulos had two books on the list: I Am Ghandi was #7 on the category list, with 3,778 copies, and I Am Sacagawea was #8, with 3,726 copies.

Unit Sales of Print Books by Channel (in thousands)

Unit Sales of Print Books by Category (in thousands)

Unit Sales of Print Books by Format (in thousands)