MAIN NEWS HEADLINES
December 1-15, 2003 Edition
AAP Reports Decline
in October Book Sales
NEW YORK, NY/12/1/03Book sales fell dramatically in October, with sales down in almost every category tracked by the Association of American Publishers.
Sales of adult hardcover books dropped 6.6 percent, with sales of $206.8 million. Calendar year to date figures show sales are down 5.8 percent for the year. The paperback category did not fare much better, with sales down 11 percent ($86.9 million). Year end numbers show sales are down 3.7 percent for this category. The adult mass market category fell 33.5 percent in October, with sales of $70.5 million. Year to date figures show sales are off 4.8 percent for the year.
The childrens hardcover category posted a small gain, up 1.9 percent in October, with sales of $51.4 million. Year to date figures are strong, with sales up 41.5 percent over last year at this time. However, the childrens paperback category was down 23.2 percent in October ($30.3 million). Year end numbers show sales are down 7.3 percent for the year.
Audio book sales fell 23.7 percent, with sales of $15 million, however, year to date numbers show sales are up 11.9 percent for the year. E-books posted another spectacular month with sales up 163.5 percent, with sales of $600,000. Year to date figures show this category is growing steadily. Sales for the year were up 182.3 percent over last year at this time. Religious books posted strong numbers in October, with sales up 96.5 percent ($43.8 million). Year to date figures show sales are up 41 percent over last year. Sales of university press books slumped in October, with sales down 8.6 percent ($6 million) for hardcover and down 5.5 percent ($4.5 million) for paperback. Year end numbers paint a brighter picture, with sales up 13.8 percent for hardcover and up 9.4 percent for paperback. Sales in the professional and scholarly category rose 1.7 percent in October, with sales of $49.9 million. Year to date numbers show sales are down 1.3 percent for the year overall. Sales in the other category were down 26.4 percent, with sales of $1.4 million. Year end figures show sales are down 20.9 percent for this category overall.
Because of returns and typical seasonal patterns in the market, sales in the higher education category were not meaningful for the month of October. However, year end figures show sales are up 1.6 percent for the year. El-hi (elementary/high school) basal and supplemental K-12 net sales were up 11.4 percent in October, with sales of $170.8 million. Calendar year to date numbers show sales are up 2.4 percent for the year.
The Association of American Publishers is the principal trade association for the U.S. book publishing industry with some 300 members, comprising most of the major commercial book publishers in the United States, as well as smaller and medium-sized houses, non-profit publishers, university presses, and scholarly societies.
