Government Shows May Book Sales Up While AAP Says Not

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July 17 – July 24, 2008 Edition

Government Shows
May Book Sales Up,
While AAP Says Not

WASHINGTON, DC/7/15/08–The U.S. Census Bureau reports that sales for May 2008 rose 2.6% to $1.15 billion, while the Association of American Publishers, which uses a different reporting basis, said May sales were down. The Census Bureau shows bookstore sales increased 4.9% for the five months beginning January 1, 2008 to$6.60 billion. The increase was partly shored up by an unusual 8% blip in sales reported for April. The overall retail category rose 2.5% for May and 3.5% for the year-to-date. These are what the Bureau calls preliminary estimates.