| 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.
