Category % CHANGE August YTD
Adult Hard -9.2% -1.6
Adult Paper 6.8 10.5
Mass Market 17.2 -16.3
Physical Audio -11.1 -5.0
Audio Download 24.8 28.6
Adult E-book 34.2 36.9
Children’s/YA 8.6 29.4
Religious Presses -3.6 -7.9
Professional 11.1 -0.4
K-12 Materials -25.3 -14.7
Higher Ed. -5.8 -2.7
University Presses 4.1 9.4

(Measured in $ sales against same time periods, 2011)

After steading falling for months, net sales of mass market paperbacks rose 17.2% in August due to a 31.6% decline in returns, according to AAP's Monthly StatShot. For the first eight months of 2012, mass market paperback paperback sales were down 16.3%. Helped by mass market paperbacks, sales in the adult trade segment rose 11% in August with e-book sales leading the way, up 34.2%, to $118.6 million. In the month, sales of hardcovers and physical audio fell 9.2%, and 11.1%, respectively. After falling in July, sales in the children's/young adult segment rebounded in August, up 8.6% led by a 49.6% increase in e-book sales. The education segments remained soft in August and both were down for the first eight months of 2012. StatShot figures are based on reports from 1,186 publishers.