November bookstore sales rose 5.3%, to $1.09 billion, compared to
November 2009, according to preliminary estimates from the Census
Bureau. For the year to date, total bookstore sales have slipped 1.9%, to
$14.4 billion.
The gain reverses a slide in sales compared to
2009 for the past half year: November marked the first time since April
that bookstore sales were up compared to the same period a year earlier.
Total
retail sales in November rose 8.9%, to $376.5 billion, compared to the
same period a year ago. For the year, total retail sales were up 6.5%, to
$3,962.9 billion.
Note: under Census Bureau definitions,
bookstore sales are of new books and do not include "electronic home
shopping, mail-order, or direct sale" or used book sales.
---
Net book sales in November rose 5.1%, to $852 million, and net book sales for 2010 through November were up 3.5%, to $9.96 billion, as reported by 88 publishers to the Association of American Publishers. E-books continued to be the strongest category, with sales up 129.7%, to $46.6 million, in November, compared to the same period in 2009, and sales up 165.6%, to $391.9 million, for the year to date.
|
CATEGORY |
SALES |
% CHANGE |
|
E-books |
$46.6 million |
129.7% |
|
Downloaded audiobooks |
$6.1 million |
34.3% |
|
Higher education |
$232.8 million |
29.4% |
|
Religious books |
$51.1 million |
5.4% |
|
Adult hardcover |
$219.9 million |
4.3% |
|
Physical audiobooks |
$16.7 million |
1.3% |
|
|
|
|
|
K-12/ el-hi |
$115.9 million |
-0.3% |
|
Children's/YA hardcover |
$63 million |
-2.7% |
|
Children's/YA paperback |
$41.3 million |
-5.5% |
|
Univ. press hardcovers |
$4.9 million |
-8.3% |
|
Adult mass market |
$47.7 million |
-9.5% |
|
Professional books |
$49.8 million |
-13.6% |
|
Adult paperback |
$80.8 million |
-19% |
|
Univ. press paperbacks |
$3.2 million |
-20% |