Unit sales of print books rose 2% in the week ended Oct. 30, 2016, over the similar period in 2015, at outlets that report to Nielsen BookScan. Adult fiction had a strong week—one of its few this year—with print units up 3% compared to the week ended Nov. 1, 2015. The gains were led by John Grisham’s newest thriller, The Whistler, which sold more than 124,000 copies in its first week, making it the overall bestselling book for the week. Two books with Christmas in their titles had strong starts: A Baxter Family Christmas by Karen Kingsbury sold just under 18,000 copies, putting it in seventh place on the adult fiction list, while Christmas in Alaska by Debbie Macomber sold almost 15,000 copies, good enough for the 11th spot on the adult fiction list. Adult nonfiction unit sales rose 2% in the week and the category also had a clear winner: Ina Garten’s Cooking for Jeffrey sold more than 112,000 copies in its first week, easily beating The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines, which sold more than 47,000 copies, landing it in second place on the adult nonfiction bestsellers list. Another new book that had a solid debut was Tim Tebow’s Shaken, which placed fourth on the adult nonfiction list after selling more than 25,000 copies in its debut week. Juvenile fiction sales increased 1% in the week, led by J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which sold almost 27,000 copies. At #2 was DanDTM: Trayaurus and the Enchanted Crystal by DanTDM, a YouTube personality whose Minecraft and gaming video channel has 12 million subscribers. His book sold more than 18,000 copies in its first week.
Unit Sales of Print Books by Channel
| Nov. 1, 2015 | Oct. 30, 2016* | Chge Week | Chge YTD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 11,005 | 11,194 | 2% | 4% |
| Mass Merch./Other | 1,851 | 1,833 | -1% | -4% |
| Retail & Club | 9,153 | 9,362 | 2% | 6% |
Unit Sales of Print Books by Category
| Nov. 1, 2015 | Oct. 30, 2016* | Chge Week | Chge YTD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult Nonfiction | 4,449 | 4,551 | 2% | 8% |
| Adult Fiction | 2,349 | 2,428 | 3% | -1% |
| Juvenile Nonfiction | 848 | 852 | 0.5% | 5% |
| Juvenile Fiction | 2,878 | 2,910 | 1% | 4% |
Unit Sales of Print Books by Format
| Nov. 1, 2015 | Oct. 30, 2016* | Chge Week | Chge YTD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardcover | 3,325 | 3,387 | 2% | 6% |
| Trade Paperback | 5,613 | 5,772 | 3% | 6% |
| Mass Market Paperback | 1,039 | 1,012 | -3% | -8% |
| Board Books | 618 | 622 | 0.6% | 8% |
| Audio | 83 | 65 | -21% | -13% |
*Totals for 2016 include units sold through Family Christian Stores. No sales through Family Christian are included in 2015.
