The Weekly Scorecard: Tracking Unit Print Sales for Week Ending May 17, 2015

Unit sales of print books rose 1% in the week ended May 17, 2015, compared to the similar week last year, at outlets that report to Nielsen BookScan. The increase ended a two-week skid in which unit sales were down year over year. The adult nonfiction segment had a 5% increase in the week, over the week ended May 18, 2014. The gain came despite no major new hit. The leading debut on the list was Tom Brokaw’s A Lucky Life Interrupted, which sold almost 14,000 copies in its first week of sale, putting it at #6. Sales in the adult fiction segment rose by less than 1% in the week, compared to the similar week in 2014, with little movement among the top sellers. 14th Deadly Sin, by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, stayed at #1, selling more than 35,000 copies. Units in the juvenile fiction segment dropped 7%, with only one new title cracking the top 50 bestsellers. Theodore Boone, by John Grisham, debuted in fifth place, with 9,700 copies sold. Sales in the juvenile nonfiction category increased 9%, as Minecraft titles continued to do well and the National Geographic Kids Almanac hit the list at #4, selling just over 5,500 copies.

Unit Sales of Print Books by Channel

Unit Sales of Print Books by Category

Unit Sales of Print Books by Format

Source: Nielsen BookScan and Publishers Weekly. Nielsen BookScan’s U.S. Consumer Market Panel covers approximately 80% of the print book market and continues to grow.