It appears as though the push to get customers to shop early is beginning to pay off. According to NPD BookScan, unit sales of print books rose 18.3% last week over the week ended November 7, 2020, with all major categories posting double digit increases.
The 18% gain came without the contribution of a big new release. The World Needs Who You Were Made to Be by Joanna Gaines was the top-selling new title last week, selling over 43,000 copies. Another new book that had a solid debut was the poetry collection I Would Leave Me if I Could by the musician Halsey, which sold over 38,000 copies. Overall, unit sales in the adult nonfiction category rose 18.5%. last week.
Sales in the juvenile nonfiction category increased 26.7% last week. This Is Your Time by Ruby Bridges sold 9,500 copies in its first week on sale, which was good enough for third place on the juvenile nonfiction list. There, it trailed Superheroes are Everywhere by Kamala Harris, which sold almost 14,000 copies, and Big Preschool Workbook, which sold more than 10,000 copies.
Michael Connelly’s The Law of Innocence was #1 in the adult fiction category, selling more than 43,000 copies in its first week on sale. Marauder by Clive Cussler and Boyd Morrison landed in the sixth spot on the category list, selling more than 17,000 in its first week. Total sales in the segment rose 10.7% last week.
With the big increase last week, unit sales of print books were up 7.2% through November 14, 2020, over the comparable week in 2019, at outlets that report to BookScan. Units should rise again this week when sales of Barack Obama's A Promised Land are recorded.
