The Weekly Scorecard: Tracking Unit Print Sales for Week Ending December 11, 2016

Unit sales of print books fell 3% in the week ended Dec. 11, 2016, compared with the similar week in 2015, at outlets that report to Nielsen BookScan. The only major segment that did not have a decline in unit sales in the week was adult nonfiction, where sales were flat. Two new books had strong debuts in the week. Tools of Titans by Timothy Ferriss sold nearly 63,000 copies in its first week, putting it in second place on the adult nonfiction bestseller list. Landing in fourth place on the category list in its first week was The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis, which sold more than 54,000 copies. Killing the Rising Sun by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard remained in the top spot on the list, selling more than 85,000 copies. Unit sales of adult fiction slipped 1% compared to the week ended Dec. 13, 2015. Island of Glass by Nora Roberts debuted in the #1 slot on the adult fiction bestseller list, selling more than 65,000 copies. Tom Clancy: True Faith and Allegiance by Mark Greaney landed in fifth place on the list, selling about 29,000 copies in its first week. Unit sales fell 3% in the juvenile fiction segment, although Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Double Down remained the top-selling title across all segments, selling more than 112,000 copies. Take Heart My Child by Ainsley Earhardt shot up the bestsellers list from #32 to the fifth spot in the week, selling about 51,000 copies. The juvenile nonfiction category had the worst week among the segments we cover, with units down 13%. The drop was driven by weakness in the top 100 bestsellers, where sales fell by 48%.

Unit Sales of Print Books by Channel

Unit Sales of Print Books by Category

Unit Sales of Print Books by Format

*Totals for 2016 include units sold through Family Christian Stores. No sales through Family Christian are included in 2015.