The Weekly Scorecard: Tracking Unit Print Sales for Week Ending May 31, 2015

Unit sales of print books fell 2% in the week ended May 31, 2015, compared to the similar week last year, at outlets that report to Nielsen BookScan. As has been the case in many weeks so far this year, modest increases in sales through the retail & club channel were offset by steep declines in sales through the mass merchandisers. Retail & club unit sales in the week rose 2% year over year, while they fell 16% in the mass merchandiser channel. The juvenile fiction segment had the worst performance, with units down 11%. There was little movement on top of the juvenile fiction bestsellers list, with Oh the Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss remaining at #1, with more than 32,000 copies sold in the week. Juvenile nonfiction did much better, with units up 6%, led by the strong performance of Johanna Basford’s Secret Garden, which sold more than 12,000 copies in the week—double its sales in the prior week. The adult nonfiction segment also had a good week, with units ahead 4% compared to the similar week in 2014. While there was no big debut in the week, a number of new books did place among the top 30 bestsellers, headed by JJ Virgin’s Sugar Impact Diet Cookbook, which sold more than 8,000 copies in its first week—good enough for 12th place on the list. Units in adult fiction dipped 1%, although there was a new #1 title: Radiant Angel by Nelson DeMille took the top spot, with more than 31,000 copies sold in its debut week.

Unit Sales of Print Books by Channel

Unit Sales of Print Books by Category

Unit Sales of Print Books by Format

Source: Nielsen BookScan and Publishers Weekly. Nielsen BookScan’s U.S. Consumer Market Panel covers approximately 80% of the print book market and continues to grow.