Juvenile Fiction Is a Bright Spot in a Down Week

Unit sales of print books fell 3% in the week ended May 7, 2017, compared to the similar week in 2016, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. The decline was due to a drop in unit sales in the adult fiction and nonfiction categories that offset a solid performance by the juvenile fiction segment. Unit sales rose 11% in juvenile fiction over the week ended May 8, 2016. The increase was driven by strong showings of a number of new books. Topping the juvenile fiction bestseller chart was The Trials of Apollo, Book 2 by Rick Riordan, which sold just under 63,000 copies in its first week. Other new books that sold well in their first week were Dragons Love Tacos 2 by Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri, which sold more than 18,000 copies, and Way of the Warrior Kid by Jocko Willink and Jon Bozak, which sold more than 12,000 copies. A book that shot up the charts in its first full week was A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas, which sold more than 44,000 copies. Unit sales in the juvenile nonfiction segment inched up slightly over 2016, with the top sellers in the category unchanged. Units in the adult fiction segment fell 9% in the week compared to 2016. 16th Seduction by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro was #1 on the category list, selling about 47,000 copies. A year ago, 15th Seduction also debuted in the top spot in the segment, selling almost 66,000 copies. Danielle Steel is a second author who had books high on the category bestseller list in both weeks: in 2017, Against All Odds sold more than 26,000 copies, while The Apartment sold about 29,000 copies in the same week in 2016. The 7% decline in unit sales in the adult nonfiction category came despite a solid showing by Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson, which sold more than 48,000 copies in its first week.

Unit Sales of Print Books by Channel (in thousands)

Unit Sales of Print Books by Category (in thousands)

Unit Sales of Print Books by Format (in thousands)