Print Unit Sales Increased 3% in Early May

Unit sales of print books rose 3% for the week ended May 11, 2019, over the comparable week in 2018, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. The gain was due in part to a 3.2% increase in adult fiction sales compared to the week ended May 12, 2018. Adult fiction unit sales were still down 5.1% for the year-to-date compared to 2018, but in the most recent week they benefited from five new titles among the category’s top 10 bestsellers. The biggest new title was Blessing in Disguise by Danielle Steel, which sold more than 26,000 copies in its first week, placing it third on the category list. Sunset Beach, the latest from Mary Kay Andrews, was #7 on the category list, selling more than 17,000 copies in its first week. Unit sales rose 4.4% in adult nonfiction, led by the release of The Pioneers by David McCullough, which sold more than 38,000 copies, making it the top title in the category. Another book that did well in its first week was The Skinnytaste Air Fryer Cookbook by Gina Homolka and Heather Jones, which sold nearly 25,000 copies, putting it at #4 on the category list. The young adult fiction category had a good week with units up 11.8% over 2018, as four new releases were at the top of the category bestseller list. Finale by Stephanie Garber was #1, selling more than 12,000 copies, followed by Broken Throne by Victoria Aveyard, which sold nearly 10,000 copies in its first week. Print unit sales rose 7.6% in juvenile nonfiction, as We Are the Gardeners by Joanna Gaines continued its hold on the top spot on the category bestseller list, selling nearly 7,000 copies.

Publishing’s All-Time Bestselling Books Total Sales of Print Books

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Unit Sales of Print Books by Category

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