A Week Before Thanksgiving, Unit Sales Rise 2%

At outlets that report to NPD Bookscan, unit sales of print books were 2% higher in the week ended Nov. 19, 2017, than in the comparable week in 2016. The juvenile nonfiction segment saw the biggest increase, with units up 7% from the week ended Nov. 20, 2016. Although Harry Potter: A Journey Through a History of Magic by the British Library remained #1 in the category in the week, some Christmas titles were also high on the bestseller list: The Story of Christmas by Patricia Pingry was # 4, with more than 5,600 copies sold, and Elf on the Shelf by Chanda A. Bell and Carol V. Aebersold was #5, with more than 5,200 copies sold. Fierce by Aly Rasiman had a solid first week, selling more than 4,700 copies. Promise Me, Dad by Joe Biden sold more than 39,000 copies in its first week on sale, putting it in first place on the adult nonfiction bestseller list and helping to drive unit sales up 4% over the comparable week in 2016. The Guinness Book of World Records had a good week, moving into eighth place on the bestseller list with more than 14,000 copies sold. Two new titles topped the adult fiction bestseller list, where unit sales were 1% higher than in the comparable week last year. Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson was in first place with more than 57,000 copies sold, followed by Janet Evanovich’s Hardcore Twenty-Four, which sold slightly less than 57,000 copies. Unit sales in the juvenile fiction segment had a minimal gain in the week. Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway remained #1 with more than 127,000 copies sold. Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae jumped into the third spot on the bestseller list with nearly 39,000 copies sold. The mass market paperback format had a rare good week, with unit sales up 3% over the similar week in 2016.

Unit Sales of Print Books by Channel (in thousands)

Unit Sales of Print Books by Category (in thousands)

Unit Sales of Print Books by Format (in thousands)