The Weekly Scorecard: Tracking Unit Print Sales for Week Ending September 11, 2016

Unit sales of print books rose 6% in the week ended Sept. 11, 2016, compared to the similar week in 2015, at outlets that report to Nielsen BookScan. Unit sales were up in all four major categories led by adult nonfiction where units increased 8% over the week ended Sept. 13, 2015. The jump in units was sparked by two new books that finished in the top three spots on the adult nonfiction bestseller list: Love Warrior, a memoir by Glennon Doyle Melton, was an Oprah Book Club selection, and the special edition of the book sold more than 22,000 copies, putting it in third place, while the regular edition sold more than 29,000 copies, landing it at #1. In second place on the adult nonfiction list was The Complete Cook’s Country TV Show Cookbook, which sold almost 24,000 copies in its first week. Unit sales in the juvenile fiction segment were up 5%, helped by a new picture book: Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty sold almost 19,000 copies in its first week, putting it in fourth place on the category list. J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child stayed #1, selling more than 92,000 copies. Unit sales were also up 5% in juvenile nonfiction, as The Pokémon Deluxe Essential Handbook stayed in first place on the category bestseller list, selling just over 8,600 copies. A good first week of sales by J.D. Robb’s Apprentice in Death helped lift unit sales in the adult fiction segment 4%. Death sold almost 27,000 copies in its debut week, putting it in second place on the adult fiction bestseller list. Different versions of The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins occupied the first and third spots on the list, selling a total of 59,000 units.

Unit Sales of Print Books by Channel

Unit Sales of Print Books by Category

Unit Sales of Print Books by Format

*Totals for 2016 include units sold through Family Christian Stores. No sales through Family Christian are included in 2015.