With declines in the trade, professional, mass market paperback and mail order segments in 2001, industry sales for the year inched ahead 0.1% over 2000, to $25.36 billion, according to preliminary estimates from the Association of American Publishers. Industry sales rose 3.4% in 2000.
Total trade sales fell 2.6% in 2001, to $6.37 billion. Within the segment, adult hardcover sales fell for the second year in a row, declining 2.2% in 2001, to $2.63 billion. The trade paperback segment bounced back from a decline in 2000 to post a 1.4% sales gain in 2001, to $1.93 billion. Following a terrific year that benefited from the phenomenal sales of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, sales in the children's hardcover segment fell 22.7% in 2001 to $928.6 million. Paperback sales, however, had a second consecutive solid year with sales ahead 17.9%, to $887.6 million. In addition to paperback editions of Potter books, segment sales were boosted by tie-ins to the Lord of the Rings movie.
After increasing 0.5% in 2000, sales in the mass market paperback segment fell 0.8% in 2001, with revenues continuing to hover around the $1.55-billion mark. And after reversing a decade-long sales decline in 2000, sales in the mail order category plummeted 18.0% in 2001, to $353.9 million. During the year, Time-Life Books exited the direct-mail business and Rodale Press dramatically downsized its operations.
Sales in the professional category, the second largest segment after trade, dropped 7.6%, to $4.74 million. Sales were hurt by a decline in computer book sales as well as a general slowing of sales of technical and business books.
The bright spots in the industry were in education. Sales in the school division followed up a 13.3% gain in 2000 with a 7.8% sales increase, to $4.18 billion, in 2001. Sales in the college segment rose 7.2%, to $3.47 billion, and sales of standardized tests increased 6.8%, to $250.1 million.
Other segments that had sales gains in 2001 included religion, with total sales up 4.7%, to $1.30 billion. A 2.6% decline in Bible sales was offset by a 7.2% gain on other religious books, including trade-oriented titles. The increase in the segment was no doubt fueled by sales of The Prayer of Jabez. Book club sales moved ahead 3.3% in the year, to $1.33 billion. The spurt enjoyed by university presses on sales of certain titles related to the events of September 11 helped reverse a 2.4% decline in 2000, although sales only rose 1.5%, to $408.2 million, in 2001.
Preliminary Estimated Book Sales 2000 2001
($ in millions)
SEGMENT | 2000 | 2001 | % CHANGE |
Total Trade | $6,540.8 | $6,369.9 | -2.6% |
Adult Hardcover | 2,685.9 | 2,626.5 | -2.2 |
Adult Paperback | 1,900.7 | 1,927.2 | 1.4 |
Children's Hardcover | 1,201.1 | 928.6 | -22.7 |
Children's Paperback | 753.1 | 887.6 | 17.9 |
Religious | 1,246.9 | 1,305.1 | 4.7 |
Bibles | 323.3 | 315.0 | -2.6 |
Other Religious | 923.6 | 990.1 | 7.2 |
Professional | 5,129.5 | 4,739.1 | -7.6 |
Book Clubs | 1,291.6 | 1,334.5 | 3.3 |
Mail Order | 431.8 | 353.9 | -18.0 |
Mass Market Paperback | 1,559.2 | 1,546.6 | -0.8 |
University Presses | 402.0 | 408.2 | 1.5 |
Elhi | 3,881.2 | 4,183.6 | 7.8 |
Higher Education | 3,237.1 | 3,468.9 | 7.2 |
Standardized Tests | 234.1 | 250.1 | 6.8 |
Subscription Reference | 809.1 | 819.4 | 1.3 |
Other | 559.4 | 577.2 | 3.2 |
Total | 25,322.7 | 25,356.5 | 0.1 |
Source: Association of American Publishers |