Wednesday, November 11, 2015

In Strong July Sales Report, Children's Segment Turns Positive

Publishers Lunch


The AAP reported July sales for the 1,200 or so publishers who provide them with monthly data (so covering only the first part of the third quarter that public companies are reporting now), with solid gains in trade, at $555.7 million, up $55.3 million from a year ago.

Notably, children's books and YA, which powered nearly all of the trade's increase in 2014, turned positive for the first month so far in 2015. Children's sales of $142.3 million were up $14.7 million. Children's hardcovers turned positive, up $3.6 million, with most of the increase coming from trade paperbacks, up $10.5 million to $54.9 million for the month -- though children's ebooks remained low, at $10.5 million, down from $17.2 million a year ago.

Adult hardcovers finally showed some strength, at $110 million, up $33.1 million -- largely due to the initial laydown of Harper Lee's Go Set A Watchman. Trade paperbacks were strong as well, up $20.1 million to $129.9 million. But even with gains in both major print categories, adult ebooks were down $7.6 million to $104.5 million. Overall, ebooks declined 11 percent for the month.

For the year to date, total trade sales are up -- just barely -- by $23.8 million, with gains in trade paperbacks (and digital adult audio) carrying declines in almost every other category. eBooks remain down more than 11 percent so far in 2015, though to be clear, almost all of that shortfall is in children's/YA. Adult ebook sales for the year, at $723.3 million so far, are down $35.4 million, or 4.7 percent.
 

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