Book Sales Decline 3.9 Percent, AAP Reports

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July 16 – July 23, 2009 Edition

Book Sales Decline 3.9 Percent, AAP Reports

NEW YORK, NY/AUTHORLINK NEWS/07/14/09– Book sales tracked by the Association of American Publishers (AAP) for the month of May decreased by 3.2 percent at $637.9 million and were down by 3.9 percent for the year.

The Adult Hardcover category was down by 40.7 percent in May with sales of $96.9 million; year-to-date sales were down by 23.7 percent. Adult Paperback sales increased 12.1 percent for the month ($113.2 million) but decreased by 19.7 percent for the year. The Adult Mass Market category was down 14.8 percent for May with sales totaling $64.7 million; sales were also down by 11.3 percent year-to-date. The Children’s/YA Hardcover category rose 41.1 percent for the month with sales of $57.1 million, and sales for year-to-date were up by 36.4 percent. The Children’s/YA Paperback category was up by 1.3 percent in May with sales totaling $43.4 million; sales increased by 1.8 percent for the year.

Audio Book sales posted a decrease of 22.7 percent in May with sales totaling $10.7 million; sales for the whole year were down by 39.2 percent. E-books sales jumped up by 196.6 percent for the month ($11.5 million), reflecting an increase of 166.7 percent for the year. Religious Books saw a decrease of 12.3 percent for the month with sales totaling $38.3 million; sales were down by 9.7 percent for the year.

Sales of University Press Hardcover books reflected a 0.2 percent decrease in May with sales of $3.9 million; sales decreased by 4.4 percent for the year. University Press Paperback sales posted an increase of 14.4 percent for the month with sales totaling $3.1 million; sales were down 2.4 percent for the year. Sales in the Professional and Scholarly category were up by 1.1 percent in May ($52.9 million) but decreased by 6.8 percent for the year.

Higher Education publishing sales rose by 24.0 percent for the month ($141.2 million) and increased 37.3 percent for the year. Finally, the net El-Hi (elementary/high school) basal and supplemental K-12 category posted a decrease of 23.5 percent in May with sales of $249.5 million; the category was down by 18.0 percent for the year.

The Association of American Publishers is the national trade association of the U.S. book publishing industry. AAP’s more than 300 members include most of the major commercial publishers in the United States, as well as smaller and non-profit publishers, university presses and scholarly societies-small and large. AAP members publish hardcover and paperback books in every field, educational materials for the elementary, secondary, postsecondary, and professional markets, scholarly journals, computer software, and electronic products and services. The protection of intellectual property rights in all media, the defense of the freedom to read and the freedom to publish at home and abroad, and the promotion of reading and literacy are among the Association’s highest priorities.