US publisher revenue down 2.6% in 2015

US publishers’ revenues fell 2.6% in 2015, dropping from US$15.82bn (A$20.81bn) in 2014 to US$15.41bn (A$20.27bn) in 2015, according to results released by the Association of American Publishers and reported in Publishers Weekly. The results are based on sales from 1205 publishers who participate in the association’s StatShot program. The greatest sales increase was recorded for adult books, which rose 2.2% to US$4.9bn (A$6.45bn), boosted by strong sales for downloadable audiobooks and adult colouring books. Religious presses also recorded an increase in sales, while sales fell for educational and professional books, and children’s/YA. In the children’s/YA category, a 3.2% drop in sales was attributed to a 43.3% decline in ebook sales (due to a spike in ebook sales for the ‘Divergent’ series in 2014), with hardback sales also down, while board book and paperback sales were up.

Category: International news