Unit sales of print books dipped 0.3% in the week ended Oct. 11, 2015, compared to the similar week last year, at outlets that report to Nielsen BookScan. Adult nonfiction was the only category to post a unit increase in the week, with sales up 7%. A host of new titles hit the adult nonfiction bestseller list; Ben Carson’s A More Perfect Union had the best debut, selling more than 37,000 copies and landing at #2 on the list. Juvenile nonfiction had a rare week in which sales fell compared to 2014. Unit sales in adult fiction fell 5% compared to week 41 of 2014, despite two new titles taking the top of the chart: The Survivor by Vince Flynn and Kyle Mills sold more than 49,000 hardcover copies, making it the top-selling adult novel for the week, with A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin landing in second place. New releases occupied the top three spots on the juvenile fiction list, led by Rick Riordan’s The Sword of Summer, which sold more than 69,000 copies, followed by Twilight/Life and Death by Stephenie Meyer, which sold more than 66,000 copies, and the illustrated edition of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, which sold more than 44,000 copies.
Unit Sales of Print Books by Channel
Oct. 12, 2014 | Oct. 11, 2015 | % Chge Week | % Chge YTD | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Total | 11,318 | 11,273 | -0.3% | 2% |
Mass Merch./Other | 2,086 | 1,834 | -12 | -9 |
Retail & Club | 9,232 | 9,439 | 2 | 4 |
Unit Sales of Print Books by Category
Oct. 12, 2014 | Oct. 11, 2015 | % Chge Week | % Chge YTD | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Adult Nonfiction | 4,120 | 4,406 | 7% | 5% |
Adult Fiction | 2,600 | 2,459 | -5 | 2 |
Juvenile Nonfiction | 910 | 868 | -5 | 10 |
Juvenile Fiction | 3,170 | 3,090 | -2 | -4 |
Unit Sales of Print Books by Format
Oct. 12, 2014 | Oct. 11, 2015 | % Chge Week | % Chge YTD | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Hardcover | 3,144 | 3,279 | 4% | 4% |
Trade Paperback | 5,926 | 5,878 | -0.8 | 3 |
Mass Market Paperback | 1,343 | 1,141 | -15 | -10 |
Board Books | 529 | 601 | 13 | 11 |
Audio | 85 | 75 | -12 | -12 |