Following yesterday’s report on the AAP’s trade sales data for 2015, we take a broader look at the other book publishing segments also charted by the organizations. The two big educational markets both got smaller in 2015: Higher ed sales declined 7 percent to $4.078 billion (down from $4.396 billion in 2014), and the similarly large K-12 market also declined, down 4 percent to $3.238 billion. Otherwise, the specialized markets tracked by the AAP were broadly flat. Religious presses had sales of $535 million (up $6 million); professional books were down $6 million, at $795 million for the year. University presses […]
Industry Statistics
Numbers In Context: AAP Trends
As we tried the explain, the year-end sales numbers from the AAP are a work-in-progress rather than the final word, subject to revision over the coming year. Our understanding of the 2014’s trade sales just changed, dropping by one percent. So we have compiled some numbers that provide a broader historical overview — adapted from a presentation we made last month at Digital Book World. Total trade sales have performed well since the Borders bankruptcy, with a four-year average of $6.535 billion: eBook sales declines received a lot of attention over the past year, but there, too, the historical data […]
AAP Statistics Show Flat December, Slight Gains for 2015 — With eBook Falloff Continuing
The AAP released sales statistics for December and full-year 2015. For the final month of the year, trade sales were just below flat — down less than $1 million, to $585.5 million. Adult sales fell $11 million, while children’s and YA sales grew by the same amount. Among adult book formats, trade paperbacks rose by $32 million and mass market paperbacks rose by $16 million, but ebook sales fell $38.5 million and the usually insignificant “other” category was down $22 million. “Other” sales for December 2014 look to have been unusually high, however. There are additional revisions as well, so […]
London Book Fair Deal Trends: Fewer Big Bets, With Children’s Ahead and Nonfiction Down
With the Bologna Book Fair over and the London Book Fair set to begin next Tuesday, April 12, it’s time for our first review of dealmaking trends (with an update Tuesday morning). Total domestic deals in the five weeks prior to LBF (starting March 7) are down modestly right now but should rise some by our final count. But one clear market shift is evident: A year ago Little Brown UK executive David Shelley told The Bookseller nonfiction was “the new black,” with those deals surging to a new pre-Fair high, but this year the opposite is true. Even though nonfiction gains […]
People, Etc.
Stacy Creamer will join Regan Arts as svp, executive editor on April 15. Most recently she was executive editor at Hachette Books and before then was publisher at Touchstone. Andy Hunter has been named publisher of LitHub.com, overseeing the growing site — which is a collaboration between Hunter’s Electric Literature and Grove/Atlantic. (Hunter also serves as publisher of Catapult.) Krishan Trotman has joined Hachette Books as senior editor. Previously she was a senior editor at Skyhorse. In addition, Hallie Patterson moves over to Hachette Books as publicity and marketing manager, from Little, Brown Children’s. At Chronicle Books, Molly Krauss has […]
Trade Sales Continued Gains In November, With eBook Sales Still Falling
The AAP reported sales for November 2015 as tabulated by their pool of approximately 1,200 publishers. While the October report was more or less flat, November was in keeping with sales gains seen in September. Trade sales for the month of $674 million were up $56 million, or 9 percent, from November 2014. Adult sales of $481 million were up $42 million with gains in hardcovers, digital audio, and trade paperbacks in particular (up 31.4 percent from a year ago) weighed down by losses in mass market and ebooks. Those adult ebook sales of $88.8 million were down $15.6 million — […]