Bookstore Sales Up 0.5% in May; Indies Up 5% for Year

May bookstore sales rose 0.5%, to $745 million, compared to May 2017, according to preliminary estimates from the Census Bureau.

For the year to date, bookstore sales were $4.01 billion, down 2.1% compared to the first five months of 2017. The cumulative loss for 2018 so far is largely attributable to January results, when bookstore sales fell 8.6%.

By contrast, as of a week of ago, book unit sales among American Booksellers Association member stores increased just over 5% for this year compared to the same period in 2017, based on sales reported to the Indie Bestseller List.

Total retail sales in May rose 7%, to $531 billion. For the year to date, total retail sales have risen 5.3%, to $2,409 billion.

Note: under Census Bureau definitions, the bookstore category consists of "establishments primarily engaged in retailing new books."

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