Sales of adult trade book were 3.1% higher in the first six months of 2017 than in the comparable period in 2016, according to figures released by the AAP as part of its StatShot program. Sales of children’s and young adult books were 4.5% higher than in the first half of 2016. After a decline in 2016, sales in the higher education course material segment were up 11.2% in the first half of the current year, the best performance of any major category. The religious presses segment was the only category in which sales fell in the most recent six-month period, declining 3.8%. Within adult books, the digital audio and hardcover segments had the best six-month performance, with sales up 25.6% and 13.5%, respectively. E-book sales were down 4.4% in the period from the same period in 2016, and mass market paperback sales fell 13.6%. In children’s and YA, board books continued to be a bright spot, with sales up 11.9%, but e-book sales dropped 9.8% from the previous year. Sales data are drawn from information supplied to the AAP by 1,204 publishers. Sales for all reporting publishers were 3.5% higher in the first half of 2017 than in the first six months of 2016.
| Category | Change June | YTD |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Hard | 30.8% | 13.5% |
| Adult Paper | 4.1% | 0.4% |
| Mass Market | -3.9% | -13.6% |
| Physical Audio | -7.9% | 1.9% |
| Audio Download | 23.3% | 25.6% |
| Adult E-book | -17.0% | -4.4% |
| Children’s/YA | 12.2% | 4.5% |
| Religious Presses | -10.1% | -3.8% |
| University Presses | 11.3% | 2.5% |
| Professional | -5.6% | 0.7% |
| K–12 Education | -2.9% | 0.1% |
| Higher Education | -13.6% | 11.2% |
