For Immediate Release

Contact: Tina Jordan

Ph: 212-255-0200 x263

Book Sales Rise in the New Year

March 24, 2008, New York, NY: Book sales tracked by the Association of American Publishers for the month of January saw an increase of 7.2 percent for the month.

The Adult Hardcover category was up by 4.2 percent in January with sales of $94.4 million. Adult Paperback sales rose 37.6 percent for the month ($135.2 million). The Adult Mass Market category rose by 17.3 percent for January with sales totaling $65.3 million.  The Children’s/YA Hardcover category saw a decrease of 21.9 percent for the month with sales of $33.6 million. The Children’s/YA Paperback category was up by 28.2 percent in January with sales totaling $34.0 million.

Audio Book sales posted an increase of 16.8 percent for January compared to last year’s figures, with sales totaling $13.5 million. E-books sales rose by 26.1 percent for the month ($3.1 million). Religious Books rose 1.1 percent for the month with sales of $47.5 million.

Sales of University Press Hardcover books were up by 4.7 percent in January with sales of $7.1 million. University Press Paperback sales posted a slight decrease of 1.5 percent for the month with sales totaling $10.2 million.  Sales in the Professional and Scholarly category were up by 0.7 percent in January ($46.9 million).

Higher Education publishing sales declined by 0.7 percent for the month with sales of $253.1 million, and finally, the net El-Hi (elementary/high school) basal and supplemental K-12 category posted a decrease of 1.6 percent in January with sales of $68.8 million.

The Association of American Publishers is the national trade association of the U.S. book publishing industry. AAP’s more than 300 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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