The Weekly Scorecard: Tracking Unit Print Sales for Week Ending January 22, 2016

Unit sales of print books rose 6% in the week ended Jan. 17, 2016, compared to the similar week last year, at outlets that report to Nielsen BookScan. The increase was driven entirely by gains in the retail and club channel that offset declines through mass merchandisers. The juvenile nonfiction category had the strongest performance in the week, with units up 16% over the week ended Jan. 18, 2015. Four titles sold more than 10,000 units each, led by Johanna Basford’s Enchanted Forest, which was #1 in the juvenile nonfiction category, selling more than 12,000 copies. A coloring book was in the top spot in juvenile fiction: The Harry Potter Coloring Book sold more than 31,000 copies last week, easily outdistancing Jeff Kinney’s 10th Wimpy Kid book, which was in second place with more than 19,000 copies sold. Unit sales rose 9% in the adult nonfiction category last week, led by Retired Inspired by Chris Hogan, which sold almost 69,000 copies in its first week. Two other new titles also did well: The Name of God Is Mercy by Pope Francis sold nearly 17,000 copies, putting it in fifth place on the adult nonfiction list, one spot ahead of When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi, which sold almost 14,000 copies. Unit sales in adult fiction slipped 1% in the week. The bestselling new novel in the category was Elizabeth Strout’s My Name Is Lucy Barton, which sold more than 15,000 copies.

Unit Sales of Print Books by Channel

Unit Sales of Print Books by Category

Unit Sales of Print Books by Format