Print Unit Sales Had Double-Digit Gain at April’s End

Unit sales of print books increased 12.4% in the week ended May 1, 2021, over the comparable period in 2020, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. The increase came in spite of the fact that sales began rebounding at this time last year after declining as the pandemic hit. The adult fiction category had another big week, with unit sales up 22.3% over the week ended May 2, 2020. Two longtime bestselling

authors topped the category list, as John Grisham’s Sooley sold more than 64,000 copies in its first week, making it #1, followed by Danielle Steel’s Finding Ashley, which sold more than 28,000 copies. YA fiction unit sales more than doubled in the week, led by six titles by Leigh Bardugo among the category’s top 10 bestsellers. Shadow and Bone, the basis for a Netflix series that began streaming in late April, sold nearly 22,000 copies. The other five Bardugo titles in the top 10 sold a total of about 44,000 copies. Adult nonfiction unit sales rose 8.9% over 2020. What Happened to You? by Oprah Winfrey and Bruce D. Perry was #1 on the category list, selling over 44,000 copies in its first week. Other new titles that hit high on the category list were You Are Your Best Thing by Tarana Burke, which sold almost 25,000 copies, and Clarity & Connection by Yung Pueblo, which sold more than 22,000 copies. Juvenile nonfiction sales continued to decline, falling 15.2% compared to 2020. For the year to date, sales in the segment are now flat with the comparable period last year.