PublishersLunch
The AAP reported sales for February, the
second installment in their expanded Stat Shot tabulations. Though it doesn't
fit the narrative in the general and tech press, trade sales of $438 million
were up 22 percent over last year's revised count of $360 million, driven by a
$58.5 million gain in children's and YA (not doubt due in part to the major
success of the Hunger Games books, which added 12.5 million units in print in
the first three months of the year). Those sales were cleaner as well, with the
absence of the big Borders returns a year ago and a more efficient supply chain
in place: Returns were $49.5 million lower for the month. Net hardcover sales
actually rose, and declined very modestly in trade paperback and mass market
books.
In the new ebook breakouts, adult ebook
sales registered $92.5 million, and children's/YA ebooks comprised $22.4
million--accounting for 26 percent of all trade sales. (On Tuesday, Simon &
Schuster said their worldwide digital content sales were 26 percent for the
entire first quarter, meaning they were likely a little higher than that in the
US.)
The ebook comparison to a year ago will
surprise some people--adult ebook sales of $92.5 million were only 9.9 percent
higher than the $84.2 million from the same month a year. (Children's ebooks of
$22.4 million rose 180 percent over just $8 million from a year ago; overall
trade ebook sales of $114.9 million were up 10 percent.) As you may recall,
however, last February was an outlier--the one month out of the first seven or
so where ebook sales appeared to spike. Upon further research, the AAP has
concluded the February 2011 figure was "abnormally high," due to
"an unusual one-off retail revenue transaction." We have underscored
in the past that publishers tell us any individual month's figures should not
be viewed that strictly; these are publisher reports, rather than direct
point-of-sale data, and can reflect reporting as well as billing/collection
irregularities from accounts.
On a month-to-month basis, February's
$114.9 million of ebooks is lower than January's $122.1 million (when ebooks
comprised 27 percent of trade sales).
The February highlights:
Adult trade paper $94.8 million -3.3%
Adult ebook $92.5 million +9.9%
Adult hardcover $68.3 million +24.4%
Adult mass market $28.2 million -4.3%
Adult trade paper $94.8 million -3.3%
Adult ebook $92.5 million +9.9%
Adult hardcover $68.3 million +24.4%
Adult mass market $28.2 million -4.3%
Children's/YA hardcover $62.9 million
+71.8%
Children's paperback $46.3 million +62.5%
Children's ebook $22.4 million +177.8%
Board book $4.1 million -8%
Other $3 million +18.8%
Children's paperback $46.3 million +62.5%
Children's ebook $22.4 million +177.8%
Board book $4.1 million -8%
Other $3 million +18.8%
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