The religious segment had the best performance among the print categories in March with sales ahead 40.9%, according to estimates from the AAP. Sales in the juvenile hardcover segment were up 15.6%, while sales in mass market paperback were up 5%. Sales in the university press paperback segment took the biggest fall in March, dropping 39.8%, while sales of professional books dropped 3.6%. In higher education, returns exceeded gross sales in March, a typical pattern for the segment. Elhi sales rose 2.4% on the strength of a 7.3% increase in supplementary sales; basal sales inched up 0.1%. For the first three months of the year, the religious and adult hardcover segments had the best gains among the print categories.

% CHANGE % CHANGE
Category March YTD
Adult Hardcover 4.4 20.2
Adult Paperback -4.3 1.5
Adult Mass Market 5.0 -4.6
Juvenile Hardcover 0.2 2.9
Juvenile Paperback 15.6 15.0
Audio Books 28.2 34.9
Electronic Books 193.1 173.2
Religious Books 40.9 30.2
Higher Education NM NM
University Press Hardcover 2.1 -9.0
University Press Paperback -39.8 -35.6
Total Professional -3.6 -8.7
Elhi 2.4 4.2
(Measured in $ sales against same time periods, 2003)