The Weekly Scorecard: Tracking Unit Print Sales for Week Ending December 13, 2015

Unit sales of print books rose 4% in the week ended Dec. 13, 2015, compared to the similar week last year, at outlets that report to Nielsen BookScan. The gain was due to the tremendous sales of adult coloring books, and their impact is seen most clearly in the trade paperback format. Unit sales of trade paperbacks increased 11% over the week ended Dec. 14, 2014. Adult coloring books took the first eight spots on our adult trade paperback list this week (see p. 11), and they helped raise overall sales in the adult nonfiction category by 7%. Lost Ocean by Johanna Basford was the top adult coloring book in the week, with more than 59,000 copies sold, and it trailed only the hardcover edition of Killing Reagan by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard in adult nonfiction. Basford’s Secret Garden and Enchanted Forest were in third and fourth places, respectively, on the juvenile nonfiction list, combining to sell more than 91,000 copies. In first place in the category was Laugh Out Loud Jokes for Kids by Rob Elliott, which sold more than 84,000 copies. Another Elliott title, Knock Knock Jokes for Kids, was in fifth place, selling more than 39,000 copies. Unit sales of adult fiction rose 1% in the week over 2014, as John Grisham’s Rogue Lawyer took over first place on the category list from Cross Justice by James Patterson, selling more than 48,000 copies. Jeff Kinney’s Wimpy Kid: Old School continued to top the juvenile fiction list in the week, selling more than 151,000 copies.

Unit Sales of Print Books by Channel

Unit Sales of Print Books by Category

Unit Sales of Print Books by Format