US print book sales record third year of growth in 2016

In the US, sales of print books were up 3.3% in 2016, marking a third straight year of growth, reports Publishers Weekly. According to Nielsen Bookscan, which tracks 80% of print sales in the US, total unit sales in 2016 hit 674 million compared to 653 million in 2015. Board books posted the highest gain among the different formats, up 7.4% in volume, with hardcover and trade paperback also showing growth of 5.4% and 4.0% respectively. Mass-market sales continued to slide for a third year in a row, down 7.7% in 2016, while physical audio sales also dropped by 13.5%. Both declines are likely to be a result of a rise in popularity for digital formats. Adult nonfiction sales increased by 6.9% in 2016, led by strong sales for religion and self-help titles, as well as a continuing interest in adult colouring books—although sales are slowing in that category compared to 2015. A lack of a new blockbuster bestsellers saw sales in adult fiction drop 1.1%; the paperback edition of the 2015 release The Girl on the Train (Paula Hawkins, Black Swan) sold the most copies in the adult fiction category. Juvenile fiction sales remained flat, with Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (J K Rowling, Jack Thorne & John Tiffany, Hachette) leading the category, while juvenile nonfiction was up by 1.5%.

Category: International news