With Easter falling on Mar. 31 in 2013, year-over-year book sales in week 13 of 2014 took a dive (Easter this year isn’t until Apr. 20). Unit sales of print books fell 14% in the week ended Mar. 30, 2014, at outlets that report to Nielsen BookScan, compared to the similar week last year. The yearly comparisons give a good indication of where consumers shop for Easter books: sales through mass merchandisers tumbled 38% in week 13 of 2014, while sales through the retail & club channel fell a more moderate 5%. Sales of juvenile books, which have been holding up better than the adult segments in 2014, were the hardest hit in the week. Juvenile nonfiction sales fell 26% and fiction 20%, compared to the week ended Mar. 31, 2013. Board books had the largest decline among formats in week 13 of 2014, with sales down 32%, as sales of the top 100 board books dropped 40% compared to the similar week last year.

Unit Sales of Print Books by Channel

Mar. 31, 2013 Mar. 30, 2014 % Chge Week % Chge YTD
Total 12,993 11,130 -14% -4%
Mass Merch./Other 3,598 2,226 -38 -12
Retail & Club 9,395 8,903 -5 -1

Unit Sales of Print Books by Category

Mar. 31, 2013 Mar. 30, 2014 % Chge Week % Chge YTD
Adult Nonfiction 4,272 4,074 -4% -2%
Adult Fiction 3,012 2,514 -16 -14
Juvenile Nonfiction 1,117 822 -26 0
Juvenile Fiction 4,097 3,295 -20 2

Unit Sales of Print Books by Format

Mar. 31, 2013 Mar. 30, 2014 % Chge Week % Chge YTD
Hardcover 3,227 2,829 -12% -2%
Trade Paperback 6,901 6,103 -12 -3
Mass Market Paperback 1,752 1,362 -22 -13
Board Books 823 555 -32 -3
Audio 96 105 9 5

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.