Sales of adult trade books were down 2.2% in the first seven months of 2014, compared to the same period in 2013, while sales in the children’s/YA segment rose 25.8%, according to AAP’s monthly StatShot program. On the adult side, sales of the three major print formats declined in the period, while sales of e-books inched ahead 0.2%. E-books accounted for 30.3% of adult book sales in the 2014 period compared to 29.6% in the first seven months of 2013. In the children’s/YA category, all formats had big double-digit gains led by e-books which had a 59.5% increase. The format accounted for 15.7% of all sales in the segment in the January–July 2014 period, compared to 12.4% of sales in the first seven months of 2013. Board book sales also had a strong increase in the period, up 41.5%. Figures are based on reports from 1,209 publishers.

Category July Change YTD
Adult Hard -7.3% -8.0%
Adult Paper 6.7% -1.2%
Mass Market 8.4% -5.3%
Physical Audio -6.6% -17.3%
Audio Download 28.9% 26.2%
Adult E-book 2.0% 0.2%
Children’s/YA 12 9% 25.8%
Religious Presses 2.8% 1.9%
Professional 4.0% -0.3%
K–12 Materials 29.2% 21.5%
Higher Ed. 17.2% 10.9%
University Presses 0.7% -1.7%

(Comparisons of $ sales against same periods in 2013)