Print Unit Sales Fell 1.9% in Early August

Declines in adult nonfiction and young adult fiction were deep enough to offset gains in other categories, leading to a 1.9% drop in print unit sales for the week ended Aug. 10, 2019, compared to the similar week in 2018, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Unit sales fell 4.3% in adult nonfiction compared to the week ended Aug. 11, 2018. In the most recent week, Educated by Tara Westover was the top title in the category, selling about 18,000 copies. A year ago, Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis topped the category list, selling nearly 47,000 copies, while two political books ran second and third: The Russia Hoax by Gregg Jarrett and Liars, Leakers, and Liberals by Jeannine Pirro, each of which sold more than 15,000 copies. The 9% decline in YA fiction was due in part to a solid showing last year of The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, which sold about 13,000 copies. The #1 title in the category in the week ended Aug. 10, 2019, was The Giver by Lois Lowry, which sold about 8,000 copies (The Hate U Give was #3). Print unit sales in adult fiction managed a small gain in the week over 2018, helped by top-10 debuts by four books: The Inn by James Patterson and Candace Fox was #2, with nearly 34,000 copies sold; Ruth Ware’s The Turn of the Key was #5, with more than 18,000 copies sold, followed by Outfox by Sandra Brown, which sold more than 17,000 copies. In sixth place was A Dangerous Man by Robert Crais, which sold nearly 15,000 copies. Print sales in juvenile fiction rose 1% over 2018; We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins was #1 in the category with more than 21,000 copies sold.

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