In an update on its nine month results, Pearson said that sales for Penguin rose 5%. A tough retail environment, Pearson said, has been offset by “strong publishing and rapid growth in e-book sales” which have increased threefold. Penguin now has 16,500 e-book titles and “a number of children’s apps for bestselling brands.” Growth in the third quarter, however, appeared to have slowed as Pearson reported that in the first half of 2010 sales were up 7% at Penguin.
In the fourth quarter, several of Penguin's biggest authors have new titles, including Tom Clancy, Patricia Cornwell, Barbra Streisand and Nora Roberts set for release in the U.S., although Pearson noted that the Penguin Group faces tough comparisons with last year's fourth quarter.
