Unit sales of print books fell about 5% in the week ended June 18, 2022, from the comparable week in 2021, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. The adult fiction segment was the only category to post an increase over 2021. The gain was led by Elin Hilderbrand’s The Hotel Nantucket, which sold more than 70,000 copies in its first week. Colleen Hoover had five books among the segment’s top 10 titles, which altogether sold nearly 200,000 copies. Sales of adult nonfiction fell by about 8%. As has been true for much of the year, the decline was due to weakness throughout the list, not because of a blockbuster seller a year ago. In fact, sales of the #1 title in the category in the most recent week, Battle for the American Mind by Pete Hegseth, topped 65,000 copies in its first week, more than double the sales of the #1 title last year, Killing the Mob by Bill O’Reilly. Another new release had a solid start, with I’d Like to Play Alone, Please by Tom Segura selling nearly 22,000 copies. Juvenile nonfiction sales dropped 11.4% despite a series of Summer Bridge Activities books selling better than a year ago. Eight books in the series sold approximately 77,000 copies in the most recent week, compared to about 45,000 copies last year.
Editor’s note: Due to a technical glitch, sales for the week ended June 18 were slightly overcounted (by no more than 0.5%). Sales will be adjusted next week.
