Total net book sales in September in the U.S. dropped 1.4%, to $1.4 billion, compared to September 2021, representing sales of 1,368 publishers and distributed clients as reported to the Association of American Publishers. (Figures do not include pre-K-12, because of delays in data collection.) For the year to date, total net book sales were down 4.5%, to $9.3 billion.
During September, trade sales dropped 2.6%, to $917.5 million. Adult paperbacks and mass markets were among the few positive categories, with sales up 19.8% and 13.7%, respectively, and downloaded audio was up yet again, by 13.6%.
Sales by category in September 2022 compared to September 2021:
