Sales in the religious press segment fell 1.2% in the first six months of 2023 from a year ago, according to data supplied to AAP’s StatShot program.
The decline was driven by a 4.1% drop in sales of hardcovers, by far the segment’s largest format, accounting for 57.3% of all sales. Paperback sales rose 1.1% and accounted for 21% of sales in the first six months of 2023.
Digital format sales were mixed. E-book sales fell 4.7%, but digital audio sales rose 6.8%. The two digital segments combined to generate 13.8% of all religious book sales, up slightly from the 13.6% digital accounted for in the first six months of 2022. Digital audio sales at the publishers who report to AAP totaled $23 million compared to $27.9 million for e-book sales.
The sales performance of the religious segment was about equal to that of general trade where sales slipped 1%. A 1.6% increase in sales of adult books was offset by a 6.3% decline in the children’s/YA category.
Revenue at all 1,238 publishers that report to AAP’s StatShot program rose 1.2%, led by a 10.1% increase in sales of higher education course materials.
