% Change % Change
(Measured in $ sales against same time periods, 2004)
After a poor February, sales rebounded in March in most publishing segments tracked by the AAP in its monthly sales report. With the exception of the adult hardcover category, where sales fell 0.8%, all trade segments posted solid double-digit gains in the month. Sales in the elhi segment rose 13.7% in March, led by an 18% increase in basal sales. The college segment had another poor month with sales off 8.1%. Among the notable trends for the first quarter was the 4.2% decline in the religious book segment; which has been one of publishing's strongest segments in the past two years.
Category March YTD
Adult Hardcover -0.8% -1.4%
Adult Paperback 23.0 5.4
Adult Mass Market 27.0 3.3
Juvenile Hardcover 26.6 44.5
Juvenile Paperback 17.4 2.9
Audio Books 17.6 8.0
Electronic Books 12.6 29.5
Religious. Books -11.7 -4.2
Higher Education -8.1 -6.2
Univ. Pr. Hardcover -19.0 -13.7
Univ. Pr. Paperback 49.7 15.5
Professional -4.3 -2.0
Elhi 13.7 14.2