Unit Sales for 2018 to Date Are Up 3% from 2017

Unit sales of print books in the week ended Apr. 15, 2018, tumbled 15% compared to the similar week in 2017 at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Easter fell April 1 this year but was on April 16 in 2017, making the year-to-year sales comparison for the week unfavorable. But total unit sales were up 3% in the first 15 weeks of 2018 over the first 15 weeks of 2017, and both of those periods include Easter sales. Sales through the retail and club channel were 4% higher than in the first 15 weeks of 2017, while sales through the mass merchandise channel increased 3%. Unit sales in the juvenile fiction and nonfiction categories had large declines in the week compared to 2017, but were up for the year to date. Juvenile nonfiction sales rose 8% in the first 15 weeks of 2018 over 2017, and juvenile fiction sales were up 6%. Both juvenile segments continue to benefit from the popularity of board books, which posted a 14% sales gain in the first 15 weeks of 2018. Though sales of juvenile books declined in the most recent week, adult nonfiction sales were surprisingly strong, with print units up 6% over the week ended Apr. 16, 2017. The increase in the category was due in part to three new releases landing atop the segment bestseller list. Fascism: A Warning by Madeleine Albright was the #1 title, selling more than 24,000 copies in its first week. In the second and third spots were The Plant Paradox Cookbook by Steven Gundry and The Clean 20: 20 Foods, 20 Days, Total Transformation by Ian Smith, which sold more than 20,000 and 16,000 copies, respectively, in their 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)