For Immediate Release

Contact: Tina Jordan

Ph: 212-255-0200 x263

Publishing Sales Continue to Climb for the Summer

August 3, 2007, New York, NY: Book sales tracked by the Association of American Publishers (AAP) for the month of June saw an increase of 4.3 percent for the month; yearly sales were up as well with an increase of 7.9 percent.

The Adult Hardcover category was up by 11.1 percent in June with sales of $106.9 million; year-to-date sales were up also up by 19.3 percent.  Adult Paperback sales were up by 0.3 percent for the month ($107.4 million); sales were down slightly by 1.6 percent for the year.  The Adult Mass Market category declined by 4.6 percent for June with sales totaling $71.0 million; sales declined by 2.0 percent year-to-date.  The Children’s/YA Hardcover category saw an increase of 22.2 percent for the month with sales of $42.3 million; sales year-to-date were up by 15.5 percent.   The Children’s/YA Paperback category increased 7.1 percent in June with sales totaling $38.4 million; sales were also up by 8.9 percent for the year.

Audio Book sales posted an increase of 25.9 percent for June compared to last year’s figures with sales totaling $12.9 million; sales for the whole year were up by 23.1 percent.  E-books sales rose by 13.5 percent for the month ($2.7 million); the category also posted an increase of 21.4 percent for the year. (E-book figures were compiled in cooperation with the International Digital Publishing Forum).  Religious Books posted an increase of 19.4 percent for the month with sales of $37.3 million; sales were up by 8.2 percent for the year.

Sales of University Press Hardcover books were down by 2.1 percent in June with sales of $4.4 million; sales were up by 1.4 percent for the year.  University Press Paperback sales decreased by 9.2 percent for the month with sales totaling $3.7 million; sales were up 2.0 percent for the year.  Sales in the Professional and Scholarly category posted an increase of 7.4 percent in June ($66.1 million); sales were up 7.1 percent for the year.

Higher Education publishing sales fell slightly by 0.2 percent for the month ($223.9 million); however sales were up by 10.1 percent for the year.  Finally, the net El-Hi (elementary/high school) basal and supplemental K-12 category posted an increase of 12.2 percent in June with sales of $739.0 million; this category also posted an increase of 0.7 percent for the year. 

The Association of American Publishers is the national trade association of the U.S. book publishing industry. AAP’smore than300 members include most of the major commercial publishers in the United States, as well as smaller and non-profit publishers, university presses and scholarly societies—small and large. AAP members publish hardcover and paperback books in every field, educational materials for the elementary, secondary, postsecondary, and professional markets, scholarly journals, computer software, and electronic products and services. The protection of intellectual property rights in all media, the defense of the freedom to read and the freedom to publish at home and abroad, and the promotion of reading and literacy are among the Association’s highest priorities.

NOTE: All sales figures cited in this release are domestic net sales

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