MAIN NEWS HEADLINES
June 11 – 18, 2009 Edition

Book Sales Up for April, Down for Year

NEW YORK, NY (AUTHORLINK NEWS,  June 10, 2009)–Book sales tracked by the Association of American Publishers (AAP) for the month of April increased by 3.3 percent at $494.9 million but were down by 4.1 percent for the year.

The Adult Hardcover category was down by 11.0 percent in April with sales of $95.7 million; year-to-date sales were down by 16.2 percent. Adult Paperback sales decreased 0.8 percent for the month ($114.8 million) and decreased by 25.7 percent for the year. The Adult Mass Market category was down 4.0 percent for April with sales totaling $51.0 million; sales were also down by 10.2 percent year-to-date. The Children’s/YA Hardcover category rose 13.6 percent for the month with sales of $44.6 million, and sales for year-to-date were up by 35.9 percent. The Children’s/YA Paperback category was up by 0.9 percent in April with sales totaling $39.9 million; sales increased by 2.0 percent for the year.

Audio Book sales posted a decrease of 32.9 percent in April with sales totaling $9.5 million; sales for the whole year were down by 43.6 percent. E-books sales jumped up by 228.3 percent for the month ($12.1 million), reflecting an increase of 154.8 percent for the year. Religious Books saw a decrease of 7.1 percent for the month with sales totaling $38.7 million; sales were down by 9.1 percent for the year.

Sales of University Press Hardcover books reflected a 6.3 percent decrease in April with sales of $5.0 million; sales decreased by 7.5 percent for the year. University Press Paperback sales posted a decrease of 12.4 percent for the month with sales totaling $2.3 million; sales were down 7.8 percent for the year. Sales in the Professional and Scholarly category were up by 1.1 percent in April ($46.3 million) but decreased by 8.9 percent for the year.

Higher Education publishing sales soared up by 312.4 percent for the month ($33.5million) and increased 42.4 percent for the year. Finally, the net El-Hi (elementary/high school) basal and supplemental K-12 category posted a decrease of 23.4 percent in April with sales of $154.8 million; the category was down by16.4 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.

NOTE: All sales figures cited in this release are domestic net sales