July Sales Strong

Following an extraordinary jump in June in the children's hardcover segment, sales in the category had another solid performance in July, increasing 73.9%, according to preliminary estimates from the AAP. The gain in the segment was led by sales of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix , which, much like June, also helped to boost audio sales, which increased 91.3% in the month. The Phoenix halo effect did not carry over to children's paperback, however, and sales were off 25.5% in the month. The adult hardcover category, helped by a decline in returns, had an extremely good July, with sales up 40.2%. Trade paperback sales rose 21.3%. Sales were down in the elhi segment, falling 2.8%. The decline was mainly due to a 9% drop in basal sales to non-adoption states. Sales of supplementary materials rose 15.3%.