AAP: Total Book and Journal Sales Up 4.6% in 2014

Shelf Awareness

Total 2014 net revenue for books and journals in the U.S. rose 4.6%, to $27.9 billion, while trade book revenue in 2014 rose 4.2%, to $15.4 billion, according to StatShot Annual, a yearly statistical survey of publishing's estimated size and scope by the Association of American Publishers. 

Total net unit sales in 2014 rose 3.8%, to 2.7 billion, and net unit sales for trade titles rose 4.2%, to 2.4 billion.

The survey relies on a combination of sales reported by many publishers and estimates of sales not reported by other publishers.

Tina Jordan, v-p of the AAP, commented: "The industry's health is driven by the depth and range of titles and formats produced by publishers. By that measure, 2014 was a good year for publishers with more than 2.7 billion books in all formats sold and continuous innovation in developing new ways for readers to enjoy and learn from books."

Among findings:

Online retail was the top sales channel for customers in the trade category, with sales of $5.9 billion and 832 million units. After years of decline, sales at physical retail stores rose 3.2%, to $3.80 billion, and units sold rose 4.1%, to 577 million.

E-books grew 3.8%, to $3.37 billion while unit sales rose 0.2%, to 510 million. (Neither figure includes e-books sold through subscription services.) E-books accounted for 21% of trade units sold.