The Association of American Publishers released StatShot data for the full year 2025 from more than 1,600 participating publishers. Trade sales of adult and children’s books were just under flat from 2024, totaling $8.977 billion, compared to $8.998 billion. Excluding exports, domestic trade sales were flat at $8.520 billion. Sales from religious presses grew 4.8 percent to $925 million. Adult book sales were $6.465 billion for the year, just under last year’s level of $6.503 billion. Children’s and YA books sold $2.512 billion, compared to $2.495 billion. Those sub-totals incorporate export sales, which comprised $457 million, or roughly 5 percent […]
Industry Statistics
Adult and Kids Book Sales Grow in May
The Association of American Publishers released data for May from participating StatShot publishers, recording trade sales of $731 million for the month, up 7.4 percent from May 2025. Adult books gained 4.6 percent to $523.5 million, with $302 million in fiction (up 4.1 percent) and $222 million in nonfiction (up 5.4 percent). Hardcovers sold $170 million (up 1 percent), paperbacks sold $181.5 (up 8.4 percent), digital audio sold $89.4 million (up 16.1 percent), and ebooks were just over flat at $72.5 million. Children’s and YA book sales were up 15.3 percent to $207 million, including $158 million in fiction (up […]
Children’s Books Show Gains in April
The Association of American Publishers released their April StatShot report, with trade sales up 4 percent to $705 million. In adult books, sales grew 2 percent to $493.5 million, with fiction up 10 percent to $291 million and nonfiction down 8 percent to $202.5 million. Hardcovers fell 5 percent to $156 million, paperbacks grew 8 percent to $169 million, digital audio grew 13 percent to $86.2 million, and ebooks grew 2 percent to $72.9 million. Children’s and YA book sales gained 9 percent to $212 million, including $164 million in fiction (up 3 percent) and $48 million in nonfiction (up […]
Trade Sales Flat in First Quarter as Audio Continues Growth
The Association of American Publishers released StatShot data for the first three months of the year. In the first quarter, trade sales for adult and children’s titles were up 0.3 percent to $2.02 billion. The return rate across the three months was 15 percent, compared to 15.4 percent in the same period in 2025. Adult books fell half a percentage point to $1.46 billion, with fiction sales of $851 million (up 5.5 percent) and nonfiction sales of $605 million (down 7.8 percent). Hardcovers sold $427 million (down 8.3 percent), paperbacks sold $514 million (up 4.7 percent), audio sold $268 million […]
In First Quarter Deals, Fiction Remains Strong As Children’s Sales Drop Significantly
After a string of record dealmaking years, the market is looking more fractured after the first quarter, highly dependent upon which market segment you are measuring. Adult fiction continues to drive the marketplace. Once again, our deal reports show a record number of major deals at the high end, and total six-figure deals were up slightly. Total fiction deals look up as well, but the comparisons are a little hard to make this year, since as of the beginning of 2026, deals by mature digital publishers are now categorized in our general pool rather than in the digital publisher category. […]
2025 Trade Sales Just Below Flat After December Growth
The Association of American Publishers released Statshot data for December and 2025 as a whole, reporting strong sales for the month and sales just under flat for the year. In December, trade sales rose 14 percent to $752 million. The return rate fell to 12.5 percent from 13.7 percent in December 2024. Adult books sold $541.9 million, up 9.4 percent, with $270.7 million in fiction (up 2.9 percent) and $271.2 million in nonfiction (up 16.8 percent). Hardcovers sold $186.8 million (up 8.4 percent), paperbacks sold $191.7 million (up 25.8 percent), ebooks sold $67.4 million (down 4.2 percent), and audio sold […]