Sales of print books got off to a good start in the first week of 2019, with units up 9.3% over the week ended January 6, 2018, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. The juvenile fiction category had the strongest performance and was up 16.4%, boosted by sales of more than 61,000 copies of Brawl of the Wild (Dog Man #6) by Dav Pilkey, which was the top seller in the juvenile fiction category. A new release, The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm by Christopher Paolini, sold more than 24,000 copies, landing it in second place on the category list. The juvenile fiction category also had a solid week, with units up 14.3%. P Is for Pterodactyl by Raj Haldar jumped to #1 on the category list, followed by a new release from National Geographic Kids, 5,000 Awesome Facts, which sold more than 6,000 copies. The adult nonfiction books that were selling well for most of December continued to be popular in the new year, and the category saw solid gains in the week ended January 5. Becoming by Michelle Obama has been the top-selling overall title since its release in November, and the memoir held on to the spot last week, selling more than 158,000 copies. Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis was in second place on the adult nonfiction list, with more than 42,000 copies sold. Adult fiction, which had a decline in print sales in 2018, managed to increase sales by 2% in the first week of 2019. The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris was in first place on the category list, selling nearly 19,000 copies. Douglas Preston’s newest, Verses for the Dead, was close behind, selling more than 18,000 copies.

Total Sales of Print Books

(in thousands)

Jan. 6, 2018 Jan. 5, 2019 Chge Week Chge YTD
Total 12,286 13,434 9.3% 9.3%

Unit Sales of Print Books by Category

(in thousands)

Jan. 6, 2018 Jan. 5, 2019 Chge Week Chge YTD
Adult Nonfiction 5,647 6,060 7.3% 7.3%
Adult Fiction 2,447 2,495 2.0% 2.0%
Juvenile Nonfiction 758 887 14.3% 14.3%
Juvenile Fiction 2,172 2,528 16.4% 16.4%
Young Adult Fiction 381 428 12.2% 12.2%
Young Adult Nonfiction 32 36 12.4% 12.4%

Unit Sales of Print Books by Format

(in thousands)

Jan. 6, 2018 Jan. 5, 2019 Chge Week Chge YTD
Hardcover 3,206 3,809 18.8% 18.8%
Trade Paperback 6,583 6,828 3.7% 3.7%
Mass Market Paperback 1,013 951 -6.2% -6.2%
Board Books 595 667 34.7% 34.7%
Audio 47 35 -25.2% -25.2%