Easter giveth and Easter taketh away. The holiday came early last year (March 27), leading to lower book sales in late March 2017 than a year ago. But with Easter now approaching—it is April 16–sales comparisons have turned around. At outlets that report to NPD BookScan, unit sales of print books were 14% higher in the week ended Apr. 2, 2017, than in the similar week in 2016. Both the juvenile fiction and juvenile nonfiction segments had large increases in the week, with fiction units up 27% and nonfiction up 22% from 2016. The increase in juvenile fiction was led by a mix of Dr. Seuss titles and Easter books, as well as the continued good performance of Too Many Carrots by Katy Hudson, which remained #1 on the category bestseller list, selling more than 19,000 copies. Four Easter-related titles cracked the top 10 bestsellers in the juvenile nonfiction category, led by The Story of Easter board book by Patricia Pingry and Rebecca Thornburgh, which sold almost 6,100 copies in the week, landing it in fourth place on the category bestseller list. Unit sales of adult nonfiction were 9% higher than in the week ended Apr. 3, 2016, boosted by new releases. Old School: Life in the Sane Lane by Bill O’Reilly and Bruce Feirstein landed at #1 on the category list, selling more than 67,000 copies in its first week. Also in its first week was Hashimoto’s Protocol by Izabella Wentz, which sold more than 18,000 copies, putting it in third place on the category list. Similarly, two new books from well-known authors helped adult fiction sales in the week end up 5% higher than in 2016. The Black Book by James Patterson and David Ellis was the #1 fiction title, selling almost 41,000 copies. Danielle Steel’s mass market paperback, Magic, sold more than 16,000 copies, putting it in fifth place on the category bestseller list.
Unit Sales of Print Books by Channel
(in thousands)
| Apr. 3, 2016 | Apr. 2, 2017 | Chge Week | Chge YTD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 10,666 | 11,994 | 14% | 0.1% |
| Retail & Club | 8,807 | 10,264 | 17% | 3% |
| Mass Merch./Others | 1,759 | 1,730 | -2% | -15% |
Unit Sales of Print Books by Category
(in thousands)
| Apr. 3, 2016 | Apr. 2, 2017 | Chge Week | Chge YTD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult Nonfiction | 4,454 | 4,878 | 9% | 2% |
| Adult Fiction | 2,333 | 2,441 | 5% | 3% |
| Juvenile Nonfiction | 874 | 1,063 | 22% | -3% |
| Juvenile Fiction | 2,592 | 3,292 | 27% | -3% |
Unit Sales of Print Books by Format
(in thousands)
| Apr. 3, 2016 | Apr. 2, 2017 | Chge Week | Chge YTD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardcover | 2,579 | 3,203 | 24% | 3% |
| Trade Paperback | 6,106 | 6,674 | 9% | -0.4% |
| Mass Market Paperback | 1,070 | 1,057 | -1% | -5% |
| Board Books | 566 | 775 | 37% | -4% |
| Audio | 62 | 62 | 0% | -3% |
