The Weekly Scorecard: Tracking Unit Print Sales for Week Ending August 30, 2015

Unit sales of print books rose 4% in the week ended Aug. 30, 2015, compared to the similar week last year, at outlets that report to Nielsen BookScan. After posting gains the previous week, unit sales in the adult nonfiction segment were up 9% year over year. Rising Strong by Brené Brown helped boost sales in the segment, with more than 30,000 copies sold in its first week, putting it atop the adult nonfiction list. Bryon Stevenson’s Just Mercy also did well, selling more than 25,000 copies and landing at #2 on the segment list. Juvenile nonfiction units rose 10% over 2014 as Johann Basford’s two coloring books, Secret Garden and Enchanted Forest, ran one-two on the segment bestsellers list, with sales of more than 21,000 and 13,000 copies, respectively. Sales in the adult fiction category fell 0.8% in the week, despite a number of good-selling debuts. X by Sue Grafton sold just under 50,000 copies, landing the hardcover in the top spot on the adult fiction list. The mass market paperback edition of Robyn Carr’s Wildest Dreams debuted at #3, selling more than 30,000 copies. Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee and Grey by E.L. James both saw sales declines in the week, dropping to fourth and fifth place on the segment list, respectively. Sales in the juvenile fiction category fell 1%, with The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep by Carl-Johan Forssen-Ehrlin taking over first place from What Pet Should I Get? by Dr. Seuss. Rabbit sold just under 35,000 copies.

Unit Sales of Print Books by Channel

Unit Sales of Print Books by Category

Unit Sales of Print Books by Format

Source: Nielsen BookScan and Publishers Weekly. Nielsen BookScan’s U.S. Consumer Market Panel covers approximately 80% of the print book market and continues to grow.