Unit sales of print books rose 7% in the week ended Feb. 19, 2017, compared to the similar week in 2016, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. The increase came after a 4% decline in the prior week and reflects the annual Dr. Seuss marketing push. Six Seuss titles were among the top 10 bestsellers in the juvenile fiction category for the week ended Feb. 19, 2017, selling a total of about 82,000 copies. Green Eggs and Ham was in the top spot on the category bestseller list, with more than 18,000 copies sold. The strong showing by the Seuss titles gave a boost to the mass merchandiser channel, where unit sales rose 16% over 2016. The three other major subject categories also had unit gains in the week. Sales in adult fiction were up 6%, led by the release of Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders, which sold more than 25,000 copies in its first week and was the #1 title on the adult fiction bestseller list. There was also a new #1 in the adult nonfiction category, where units rose 5% from 2016: This Life I Live by Rory Feek sold more than 23,000 copies in its first week, pushing Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly, with more than 21,000 copies sold, into second place. A few Seuss-related books helped unit sales in the juvenile nonfiction segment rise 2%. Seuss-isms! was # 6 on the category bestseller list, selling more than 6,000 copies. The top seller in juvenile nonfiction was There Is No Place Like Space by Tish Rabe, which sold almost 9,000 copies.

Unit Sales of Print Books by Channel

Feb. 21, 2016 Feb. 19, 2017 Chge Week Chge YTD
Total 11,366 12,110 7% -0.5%
Mass Merch./Other 1,838 2,133 16% -11%
Retail & Club 9,528 9,977 5% 1%

Unit Sales of Print Books by Category

Feb. 21, 2016 Feb. 19, 2017 Chge Week Chge YTD
Adult Nonfiction 4,687 4,906 5% 0.4%
Adult Fiction 2,334 2,475 6% 0.8%
Juvenile Nonfiction 954 988 3% -2%
Juvenile Fiction 3,012 3,315 10% -6%

Unit Sales of Print Books by Format

Feb. 21, 2016 Feb. 19, 2017 Chge Week Chge YTD
Hardcover 2,967 3,266 10% 0.9%
Trade Paperback 6,422 6,678 4% -1%
Mass Market Paperback 1,046 1,024 -2% -7%
Board Books 627 781 24% 4%
Audio 61 65 6% -4%