‘Fire and Fury’ Drives Big Unit Sales Gain

Big sales of Fire and Fury by Michael Wolff helped boost sales 9% higher in the week ended Jan. 14, 2018, than in the comparable week in 2017 at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. The book, which sold more than 191,000 copies, generated most of its sales through the retailer and book club channel; fewer than 1,000 copies were sold via the mass merchandiser/other channel. The strong sales performance by Fire and Fury meant that unit sales in the adult nonfiction category were 14% higher than in the week ended Jan. 15, 2016. Two Rupi Kaur books, The Sun and Her Flowers and Milk and Honey, were in second and third place on the adult nonfiction bestseller list, selling nearly 21,000 and more than 18,000 copies, respectively. The juvenile fiction segment also had a solid week, with units up 6% over the comparable week in 2017. Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man and Cat Kid remained in first place on the category bestseller list, selling nearly 27,000 copies. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: The Illustrated Edition by J.K. Rowling and Jim Kay had a strong week, moving into fifth place on the category list with more than 9,000 copies sold. Print unit sales in the juvenile nonfiction segment were 3% higher than in the similar week in 2017. The #1 seller in the category, The Jesus Storybook Bible Gift Edition by Sally Lloyd-Jones and Jago, sold nearly 10,000 copies in its first week on sale. Even the adult fiction category managed a gain: unit sales were 1% higher than in the similar week in 2017. A number of novels enjoyed strong gains week over week, including the two top sellers, No Middle Name by Lee Child, which sold almost 25,000 copies, and A.J. Finn’s The Woman in the Window, which sold more than 20,000 copies.

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)