US publishers’ sales up 1.8% in 2019: StatShot

In the US, estimates from the Association of American Publishers’ (AAP) StatShot program show that US publishers’ sales totalled US$14.7 billion (A$22.6b) in 2019, up 1.8% on the previous year, reports Publishers Weekly.

Sales of adult books fell 2.7%, led by a 14.7% decline in the mass-market paperback category. Hardcover sales (down 7.8%), trade paperback (down 1.2%) and ebook (down 4.3%) sales also declined. Digital audio sales were up 23.2% compared to 2018, accounting for 9.9% of total adult book sales—up from 7.8% in 2018.

Sales in the children/YA segment were up 6.8%, with paperback sales up 10.1% and hardcover and board book sales both up 3.9%.

For educational publishers, the K-12 instructional materials segment was the strongest performing for the year, up 24%. Sales were down 10.7% in the higher educational course materials segment.

The StatShot Annual Report is a yearly statistical survey of publishing’s estimated size and scope. It uses yearly sales data from 1375 publishers, and makes estimates for publishers who don’t participate based on company financial reports, government filings and other third-party sources.

The AAP will release final figures later this year, which will include sales estimates from publishers that don’t report to the AAP.

Category: International news