Total net book sales August 2019 in the U.S. fell 8%, to $1.952 billion, compared to August 2018, representing sales of 1,361 publishers and distributed clients as reported to the Association of American Publishers. For the first eight months of the year, total net book sales rose 3.6%, to $9.94 billion.
Among highlights, overall sales were dragged down in large part by drops in higher ed, down 24.7%, continuing to reflect lower student spending on college course material; and adult paperback and mass market, down 12% and 22.7%, respectively. In trade publishing, net revenue fell 3.6%, to $661.2 million, while children's/YA books rose 7.9%. For a change, the leading category was not downloaded audio, whose sales gains recently have been dropping to earth (up "only" 5.7% in August), but an unusual category: university press e-book, with sales up 25.1% (by contrast university press hardcover and paperback sales were down 23.6% and 15.7%, respectively), followed by an equally unusual category: children's board books, up 19.4%.
As for format, hardcovers sales were flat, and print books accounted 79.9% of trade title sales. Total e-book sales fell 7.5%, to $86.3 million.
Sales by category in August 2019 compared to August 2018: