Total trade book sales were just about flat in the first half of 2022 compared to 2021 at publishers that report financial results to the AAP’s StatShot program. A 2.6% decline in sales of adult titles was offset by a 4.3% increase in sales of children’s/YA books. Reported sales were $3.82 billion in the first half of the year, compared to $3.84 billion in the first six months of 2021.
Total sales for the 1,368 publishers who report to the AAP fell 1.6% in the period (as has been true for much of the year, sales do not include the K-12 instructional materials category, where reporting has been delayed). Sales in the religious presses category fell 3.4%, but sales of professional books inched up 1.5%. Sales of higher educational materials fell 5% in the first half of the year, and the university press segment had 2.1% decline.
In the adult category, print sales fell 3.3% in the first half of the year as sales in the small mass market paperback category fell 21.1%, hardcover sales dropped 7%, and trade paper sales rose 11%. Digital sales declined 1.9%, with a 4.9% increase in downloadable audio sales offset by a 6.9% decline in e-book sales.
In children’s/YA, the sales gain was due entirely to a 12% increase in sales of paperback, the category’s largest format. Sales in all other formats fell in the period, including hardcover, with sales down 2.8%, while e-book sales tumbled 18% in the first six months of 2022.
