Sales of adult trade books rose 2.6% in May 2017 over May 2016, while sales in the children’s/YA segment increased 11.8%, according to AAP’s StatShot report. Within the adult segment, after a long decline, e-books finally posted a monthly sales increase over the prior year with May sales of the format up 3.4%. Downloadable audio had another good month, with sales up 32.2%. For the year to date in the adult category, sales were up 1.6% over the first five months of 2016, led by gains in downloadable audio and hardcover, which offset declines in paperback. The 11.8% increase in the May children’s/YA category was led by gains of 15.1% and 11.3%, respectively, in hardcover and paperback. Sales for the 1,204 publishers who report to StatShot had a 4.6% May increase and a 4.3% gain in the first five months of the year.
| Category | Change May 2017 v. May 2016 | YTD |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Hard | -5.5% | 8.8% |
| Adult Paper | 3.1% | -1.3% |
| Mass Market | 7.4% | -16.0% |
| Physical Audio | -4.8% | 5.1% |
| Audio Download | 32.2% | 26.1% |
| Adult E-book | 3.4% | -2.9% |
| Children’s/YA | 11.8% | 0.0% |
| Religious Presses | 2.5% | 4.1% |
| Professional | -1.9% | 2.7% |
| K–12 Materials | 5.5% | 1.8% |
| Higher Ed. | 3.1% | 22.6% |
| University Presses | 7.3% | 0.9% |
