Unit sales of print books dipped 0.4% for the week ended Aug. 31, 2014, compared to the similar week last year, at outlets that report to Nielsen BookScan. Although the decline was a small one, it put an end to a seven-week streak in which weekly sales in 2014 rose compared to the similar weeks in 2013. The poor performance of physical audiobooks was one factor in the decline; units sales fell 22% in week 35. The format has posted double-digit declines for four weeks, and, though units were up by as much as 8% at one point, through August 31 they show only a 3% gain over last year. The mass market paperback format also posted a decline in the week, with units down 13% compared to week 35 of 2013. In terms of categories, juvenile nonfiction had another solid week, with sales up 20%. Minecraft: Combat was by far the hottest seller in the week, moving over 43,500 units at outlets that report to BookScan, easily topping second-place Sisters, which sold over 15,000 units. A lot of new fiction hit the list in the week, but no title racked up big numbers. The mass market paperback edition of Robyn Carr’s Homecoming had the biggest debut, selling over 37,000 copies.
Unit Sales of Print Books by Channel
Sept. 1, 2013 | Aug. 31, 2014 | % Chge Week | % Chge YTD | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Total | 12,089 | 12,039 | -0.4% | 1% |
Mass Merch./Other | 1,963 | 1,858 | -5 | -3 |
Retail & Club | 10,127 | 10,181 | 1 | 2 |
Unit Sales of Print Books by Category
Sept. 1, 2013 | Aug. 31, 2014 | % Chge Week | % Chge YTD | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Adult Nonfiction | 5,355 | 5,095 | -5% | -0.2% |
Adult Fiction | 3,004 | 2,797 | -7 | -11 |
Juvenile Nonfiction | 678 | 817 | 20 | 11 |
Juvenile Fiction | 2,567 | 2,915 | 14 | 15 |
Unit Sales of Print Books by Format
Sept. 1, 2013 | Aug. 31, 2014 | % Chge Week | % Chge YTD | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Hardcover | 2,567 | 2,581 | 0.5% | 2% |
Trade Paperback | 7,041 | 7,174 | 2 | 3 |
Mass Market Paperback | 1,757 | 1,521 | -13 | -11 |
Board Books | 330 | 398 | 21 | 17 |
Audio | 92 | 72 | -22 | 3 |
Source: Nielsen BookScan and Publishers Weekly. Nielsen BookScan’s U.S. Consumer Market Panel covers approximately 80% of the print book market and continues to grow.