Unit Sales of Print Books by Channel

Mar. 15, 2015 Mar. 13, 2016 % Chge Week % Chge YTD
Total 11,172 11,892 6% 7%
Mass Merch./Other 2,043 2,123 4 -6
Retail & Club 9,129 9,769 7 9

Unit Sales of Print Books by Category

Mar. 15, 2015 Mar. 13, 2016 % Chge Week % Chge YTD
Adult Nonfiction 4,243 4,831 14% 12%
Adult Fiction 2,462 2,317 -6 -2
Juvenile Nonfiction 955 1,092 14 13
Juvenile Fiction 3,123 3,317 6 4

Unit Sales of Print Books by Format

Mar. 15, 2015 Mar. 13, 2016 % Chge Week % Chge YTD
Hardcover 2,939 3,250 11% 7%
Trade Paperback 6,117 6,503 6 8
Mass Market Paperback 1,183 1,071 -9 -7
Board Books 655 795 21 18
Audio 80 61 -23 -14

Unit sales of print books rose 6% in the week ended Mar. 13, 2016, compared to the similar week in 2015, at outlets that report to Nielsen BookScan. The mass merchandiser channel had one of its best weeks in 2016 so far, with units up 4%, although units for the year to date were still off 6% compared to the same period last year. The adult nonfiction and juvenile nonfiction segments has the strongest performances in the week, with both posting unit sales gains of 14%. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo remained at #1 on the adult nonfiction bestsellers list, selling more than 17,000 copies. The book that had the strongest sales increase was the adult coloring book Tropical World by Millie Marotta, which sold more than 10,000 copies, an increase of 60% over the previous week—putting the title in eighth place on the adult nonfiction list. Joyous Blooms to Color by Eleri Fowler saw another big bump in the week, with more than 18,000 copies sold, a 59% increase over the prior week. The coloring book landed in the top spot on the juvenile nonfiction bestsellers list. Unit sales in the juvenile fiction category rose 6% in the week, led by Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare, which sold more than 45,000 copies in its first week, putting it in the top spot on the juvenile fiction bestsellers list. Happy Easter, Mouse by Laura Joffe Numeroff had a 41% unit sales gain over the previous week, selling more than 13,000 copies and putting it in fifth place on the juvenile fiction list. Unit sales in adult fiction dropped 6% compared to the similar period last year. There was no big debut in the week, and unit sales of the 100 bestselling books in the segment fell 16%, compared to the week ended Mar. 15, 2015.

*Totals for 2016 include units sold through Family Christian Stores. No sales through Family Christian are included in 2015.

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.