Contact: Tina Jordan
(212) 255-0200 ext. 263
tjordan@publishers.org

April 9, 2010, New York, NY—Book sales tracked by the Association of American Publishers (AAP) for the month of February increased by 12.2 percent at $486.3 million and were up by 4.8 percent for the year.

The Adult Hardcover category was up by 0.3 percent in February with sales of $80.5 million; year-to-date sales were down by 3.8 percent. Adult Paperback sales increased 35.3 percent for the month ($106.3 million) and went up by 15.9 percent for the year. The Adult Mass Market category increased 1.9 percent for February with sales totaling $49.8 million; sales were also up by 0.6 percent year-to-date. The Children’s/YA Hardcover category declined 48.5 percent for the month with sales of $34.2 million, and sales for year-to-date were down by 45.1 percent. The Children’s/YA Paperback category also decreased by 15.5 percent in February with sales totaling $35.1 million; sales fell 16.7 percent for the year.

Audio Book sales posted an increase of 15.2 percent in February with sales totaling $11.2 million; sales for the whole year were up by 9.4 percent. E-book sales soared up 339.3 percent for the month ($28.9 million), reflecting a jump of 292.3 percent for the year. Religious Books saw a decrease of 1.7 percent for the month with sales totaling $46.0 million; sales were down by 8.9 percent for the year.

Sales of University Press Hardcover books reflected a 0.0% change in February with sales of $4.1 million; sales decreased by 6.3 percent for the year. University Press Paperback sales posted a gain of 10.8 percent for the month with sales totaling $3.8 million; sales were down 5.8 percent for the year. Sales in the Professional and Scholarly category increased by 25.5 percent in February ($43.1 million) and were up by 9.7 percent for the year.

Higher Education publishing sales posted an increase of 262.9 percent for the month ($42.0 million) and increased 15.9 percent for the year. Finally, the K-12 El-Hi (elementary/high school) category posted total net sales of $102.3 million, up 25.2 percent from February 2009, and year-to-date sales of $196.9 million, a 30.1 percent increase.

The Association of American Publishers is the national trade association of the U.S. book publishing industry. AAP’s more than 300 members include most of the major commercial publishers in the United States, as well as smaller and non-profit publishers, university presses and scholarly societies—small and large. AAP members publish hardcover and paperback books in every field, educational materials for the elementary, secondary, postsecondary, and professional markets, scholarly journals, computer software, and electronic products and services. The protection of intellectual property rights in all media, the defense of the freedom to read and the freedom to publish at home and abroad, and the promotion of reading and literacy are among the Association’s highest priorities.

NOTE: All sales figures cited in this release are domestic net sales.

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