The Weekly Scorecard: Tracking Unit Print Sales for Week Ending December 6, 2015

Unit sales of print books increased 2% in the week ended Dec. 6, 2015, compared to the similar week last year, at outlets that report to Nielsen BookScan. Unit sales rose 5% in the adult nonfiction category, as Humans of New York: Stories by Brandon Stanton claimed the #1 spot, selling more than 97,000 copies. The big sales driver, however, was adult coloring books. Nine of the top 20 titles in the segment were adult coloring books, selling a total of more than 235,000 copies. Three Elf on the Shelf books plus two adult coloring books from Johanna Basford contributed to an 11% increase in unit sales in the juvenile nonfiction category in the week. Carol Aebersold’s The Elf on the Shelf boy scout edition was the #1 seller in the segment, followed by the girl scout edition, selling 85,000 and 60,000 copies, respectively. Elf on the Shelf Pets Reindeer sold almost 21,000 copies and was in eighth place on the juvenile nonfiction list. Unit sales in adult fiction fell 1% in week 49 of 2015 compared to last year. James Patterson’s Cross Justice stayed at #1 in the category, selling more than 46,000 copies. The bestselling new book was Tom Clancy: Commander in Chief by Mark Greaney, which sold more than 33,000 copies in its first week, putting it in third place on the adult fiction list. Juvenile fiction unit sales dropped 2% in the week. Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School was #1, selling more than 152,000 copies, easily beating Little Blue Truck’s Christmas by Alice Schertle and Jill McElmurry, which sold more than 37,000 copies.

Unit Sales of Print Books by Channel

Unit Sales of Print Books by Category

Unit Sales of Print Books by Format