It’s been reported numerous places on the web where the book publishing financials stand in the midst of the economic melt-down. Priorities seem to be that reading to kids is at a premium – with a 62% increase in children’s hardcover books. Folks who got Kindles for Christmas seem to be buying ebooks like crazy — 131% incrase in February. And Amazon says today that its Kindle sales to date have outstripped its wildest dreams.
The first quarter, ending March 31, Kindle sales were up more than 18% over last year, which helped the company to incease net sales this quarter to $4.89 billion. Jeff Bezo is pleased.
AAP Book Sales: Declines for February, Year-to-Date
In February, net sales decreased 12% to $447.5 million for 81 publishers that reported to the Association of American Publishers. Net sales for the year-to-date have fallen 2.1% to $1.24 billion.
Sales of selected categories:
- E-books jumped 131% to $6.7 million.
- Children’s/YA hardcover rose 62.1% to $67.1 million
- Children’s/YA paperback increased 13.4% to $41.6 million
- University press hardcovers showed no change at $4.8 million
- Adult paperback decreased 38.8% to $79.7 million.
- Audiobooks dropped 31.7% to $8.2 million.
- Higher education slid 24.9% to $27.1 million.
- Professional and scholarly decreased 19.7% to $36.2 million.
- Religious books declined 19% to $44.3 million.
- Adult mass market dropped 18.3% to $48.8 million.
- El-Hi slid 9.9% percent in September to $76 million.
- University press paperbacks fell 7% to $4 million.
- Adult hardcover declined 0.9% to $77.8 million.
