Total net book sales in August in the U.S. rose 1.2%, to $2.178 billion, compared to August 2017, representing sales of 1,080 publishers and distributed clients as reported to the Association of American Publishers. For the year to date, total net book sales have fallen 0.6%, to $9.903 billion.
Downloaded audio continued its explosive growth, with sales rising 45.2%; adult trade, with the exception of mass market, had solid gains; and adult e-books were up slightly. Sales of children's/YA hardcovers and paperbacks both rose substantially. K-12 and higher ed were almost even with the same period last year.
Sales by category in August 2018 compared to August 2017:
