Total net book sales in the first six months of 2025 in the U.S. fell 1.7%, to $6.3 billion, compared to the first half of 2024, representing sales of 1,325 publishers and distributed clients as reported to the Association of American Publishers. In June, net book sales were down 1.3%, to $1.1 billion.
Trade sales were down 2.8%, to $4.3 billion, in the first half of the year. Hardcover sales rose 0.7%, to $1.5 billion, paperbacks fell 8.1%, to $1.5 billion, mass market dropped 29.8%, to $42 million, and special bindings were down 1.5%, to $89.9 million.
In other formats, in the first half of the year e-book revenues were up 2.4%, to $526.7 million, digital audio rose 5.3%, to $500.8 million, and physical audio dropped 35.5%, to $2.7 million.
In major trade categories, adult fiction sales dropped 5%, to $1.6 billion, adult nonfiction fell 3.8%, to $1.2 billion, children's/YA fiction slipped 0.8%, to $871.8 million, and children's/YA nonfiction rose 9.2%, to $202.5 million.
Sales by category for the first six months of 2025:
- University press e-books: $15.4 million, 7.2%
- Children's/YA e-books: $50.3 million, 5.7%
- Digital audio: $500.8 million, 5.3%
- Higher Ed: $1.1 billion, 5.2%
- Adult e-books: $451.2 million, 2.6%
- Children's/YA paperbacks: $477.4 million, 1.3%
- Adult hardcovers: $912.7 million, 1.1%
- Religious hardcovers: $249.1 million, 1.1%
- Children's/YA hardcovers: $381.7 million, -0.3%
- Children's special bindings: $89.9 million, -1.5%
- University press paperbacks: $31.4 million, -2%
- University press hardcovers: $18.1 million, -4.1%
- Religious e-books: $25.1 million, -6%
- Professional books: $212.6 million, -7.7%
- Religious paperbacks: $72.5 million, -7.7%
- Adult paperbacks: $947.7 million, -12.2%
- Adult mass market: $42 million, -29.8%
- Physical audio: $2.7 million, -35.5%