Unit Sales Bounce Back at End of July

With all four major categories posting increases in the week ended July 22, 2018, unit sales of print books were up 6% from the comparable week last year at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. The increase follows a 5% decline in units in the prior week. As the start of the school year draws closer, sales of educational books continue to rise. Nine of the top 10 juvenile nonfiction bestsellers in the week ended July 22, 2018, were related to preparing children for school, and units in the category increased 11% over the week ended July 23, 2017. Unit sales in the adult nonfiction segment increased 6%, led by a new #1 category bestseller: Jeanine Pirro’s Liars, Leakers, and Liberals sold nearly 35,000 copies in its first week. Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis slipped from #1 to #2 on the category list, even though the book sold more than 25,000 copies, an 8% increase over the previous week. Unit sales in the juvenile fiction segment were 5% higher in the week ended July 22, 2018, than in the comparable week in 2017. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas remained at the top of the category list, selling more than 13,000 copies. Two other titles had solid gains over the prior week: The PreK Jumbo Workbook moved into second place, selling 8,844 copies, just edging out Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi, which sold 8,222 copies. With four of the top five fiction titles new to the list, unit sales in the category rose 4%. Daniel Silva’s The Other Woman was #1, selling more than 41,000 copies (two B&N Exclusives sold another 13,000 copies), while The Adventure Zone by Clint and Griffin McElroy was #2 with more than 33,000 copies sold.

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)