Soft sales in the adult nonfiction and juvenile categories offset a 12.1% increase in sales of adult fiction, leading to a 2.3% drop in unit sales of print books last week compared to the week ended September 18, 2021.
The gain in adult fiction sales was sparked by The Butcher and the Wren by Alaina Urquhart, which was #1 in the category, selling more than 67,000 copies in its first week on sale at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. The novel is one of the first titles from Zando, the new publisher started by former Crown publisher Molly Stern. Another new release, Oath of Loyalty by Vince Flynn, was in eighth place on the category list, selling nearly 26,000 copies.
Sales in adult nonfiction fell a relatively modest 4.9% in the week, as eight new releases were among the top 10 category bestsellers. What If? 2 by Randall Munroe was #2 on the list, selling over 32,000 copies in its first week on sale. It was followed by Good Inside by Becky Kennedy, which sold over 27,000 copies, and The Simple Happy Cookbook by Steve Doocy, which sold more than 26,000 copies. I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy remained #1 in the category, selling just over 45,000 copies.
Juvenile fiction sales dropped 6.7% compared to 2021. Alice Schertle Little Blue Truck’s Halloween was tops in the category, selling over 15,000 copies. The bestselling new title was The Last Kids on Earth and the Forbidden Fortress by Max Brallier, which sold nearly 12,000 copies in the week, landing it in fourth place on the category list.
The young adult fiction segment had a 1.1% sales increase in the week, helped by the release of The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber, which sold over 24,000 copies, putting it atop the category list.
