'Potter' Dominates July
by Staff -- Publishers Weekly, 9/12/2005
% Change
% Change
Category
July
YTD
Adult Hardcover
8.4%
2.8%
Adult Paperback
9.4
7.9
Adult Mass Market
27.9
0.6
Juvenile Hardcover
785.8
137.8
Juvenile Paperback
-7.5
5.6
Audio Books
197.9
40.5
Electronic Books
49.7
38.2
Religious U.S. Books
-5.8
-2.9
Higher Education
4.4
4.5
Univ. Pr. Hardcover
-31.9
-25.1
Univ. Pr. Paperback
-38.1
-18.9
Professional
-4.9
-0.1
Elhi
5.0
4.9
(Measured in $ sales against same time periods, 2004)
The publication of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince had the expected impact on the children's hardcover category, driving up July sales in the segment by 785.8%, according to AAP's monthly estimates. The release of Half-Blood also helped to push up sales of spoken-word audio, with July sales ahead nearly 198%. The mass market paperback segment was the third trade publishing segment to post double-digit gains in the month, with sales up 27.9%. The university press category continued to struggle in July, with sales in both hardcover and paperback down by more than 30%.
