Total net book sales in May in the U.S. fell 7.5%, to $1.06 billion, compared to May 2024, representing sales of 1,325 publishers and distributed clients as reported to the Association of American Publishers. For the year to date, net book sales were down 1.8%, to $5.18 billion.
Net revenues for trade books fell 8.1%, to $737 million in May, with hardcovers down 10.3%, to $261.7 million, paperbacks down 12.7%, to $262.6 million, mass market down 33%, to $7 million, and special bindings up 8.4%, to $14.7 million.
In trade formats, trade paperbacks accounted for 35.6% of sales, hardcovers 35.5%, e-books 11.5%, digital audio 11.4%, special bindings 2%, mass market 0.9%, and other 2.9%.
Sales by category for May 2025:
