Second quarter revenue in Salem Media’s publishing division fell 7%, to $6.7 million, compared to the quarter ended June 30, 2014.
The decline was due in part to a drop in sales at Salem's Regnery Publishing subsidiary, where revenue fell from $5.6 million to $4.5 million. Salem said Regnery's slump was attributable to one fewer bestsellers in the period, compared to the second quarter of 2014. Regnery e-book sales, however, jumped to $802,000, from $545,000.
Revenue from Salem’s self-publishing company, Xulon Press, rose slightly in the quarter, from $1.4 million to $1.5 million, as more authors used the company’s services.
Operating income in the publishing division fell to $265,000, from $380,000 in last year’s second quarter. For the first six months of 2015, publishing division sales fell to $11.3 million, from $11.4 million. However, the unit posted operating income of $294,000 in the first half of 2015, compared to a loss of $363,000 in the first six months of 2014.
