CATEGORY % CHANGE March % CHANGE YTD
(Measured in $ sales against same time periods, 2008)* Number of reporting companies.
March was another down month for the adult trade segments, and the three major categories—hardcover, trade paperback and mass market paperback—all finished the first quarter with double-digit declines. In addition to lower gross sales in all three segments, the trade paperback segment suffered from a 20% increase in returns, according to AAP's monthly sales estimates. The three strongest segments in March—children's hardcover (with Stephenie Meyer leading the way), higher education and e-books—have also done well in the first quarter. The 13 publishers that report e-book sales had total first quarter revenue of $25.8 million, a 131% jump over the first quarter of 2008.
Adult Hard (17)* -19.4% -19.3%
Adult Paper (18) -35.8 -33.1
Mass Market (9) -4.3 -11.9
Juvenile Hard (14) 6.7 40.8
Juvenile Paper (14) -14.1 0.4
Audio (14) -43.3 -47.1
Electronic (13) 110.4 131.0
Religious (17) -11.4 -12.0
Higher Ed. (10) 20.2 33.0
Univ. Pr. Hard (38) -7.8 -6.3
Univ. Pr. Paper (38) -20.7 -6.2
Professional (9) -17.1 -12.2
Elhi (8) -12.0 -13.3