The publishing industry’s hot summer sales streak continued in August. Sales at the 1,277 companies that report results to the Association of American Publishers’ StatShot program came in at $1.7 billion, notching an 8.5% increase in revenue compared to August 2023.

Year-to-date revenues were up 7.8%, to $9.3 billion, for the first eight months of the year. The August increase follows an 18.1% jump in July 2024 over the previous year.

In the adult trade segment, fiction sales were up 14.7%, and nonfiction sales rose 8.5%. Within the trade segment, sales from religious presses continue to lead the way, with revenues up a hefty 47.4% in August, coming in at $85.3 million. Overall, religious press revenues have posted a 21.2% gain for the first eight months of the year, to $563.7 million.

Sales of children’s/YA fiction were up 6.6% for the month over 2023, and children’s nonfiction sales increased by 12.2%. University presses also posted a strong month, with an 18.2% increase in net sales compared to August 2023.

In terms of format, sales of digital audio continued to show impressive growth, up 38.8%, to $93.9 million in revenue, for the month compared to last year. E-book sales were also up 6.1%, netting $90.4 million. In print, hardback sales were up 8.0%, coming in at $2.0 billion; paperbacks were up 5.9%, posting $2.1 billion in revenue; and the mass market format continues to slide, down 18.1% to $81.9 million.