As a freelance writer, I have specialized in writing supplements and ancillaries for college textbooks, but I also have two trade paperbacks on California hiking trails in print, and I do other writing projects.
So I follow with interest what’s happening in the publishing industry. Here’s the press release with the most recent data on book sales from The Association of American Publishers:
New York, NY, December 17, 2009: Book sales tracked by the Association of American Publishers (AAP) for the month of October increased by 10.2 percent at $725.8 million and were up by 4.1 percent for the year.
The Adult Hardcover category rose 6.3 percent in October with sales of $259.9 million; year-to-date sales were up by 3.9 percent. Adult Paperback sales jumped up 37.5 percent for the month ($130.4 million) but were down by 4.8 percent for the year. The Adult Mass Market category was down 1.8 percent for October with sales totaling $61.2 million; sales were down by 0.4 percent year-to-date. The Children’s/YA Hardcover category declined by 0.5 percent for the month with sales of $87.9 million, but sales for year-to-date increased 4.4 percent. The Children’s/YA Paperback category was up by 20.2 percent in October with sales totaling $52.7 million, reflecting a 4.1 percent increase for the year.
Publishers’ net sales for e-books in particular for the month of October reached $18.5 million for the month of October, compared to $5.2 million last year. Year-to-date sales in aggregate for the period of January-October 2009, reached $130.7 million, compared to $46.6 million in 2008 for the same period last year, reflecting a 180.7% increase. Currently trade market e-books according to AAP reports account for 3% of total trade sales.
Audio Book sales posted a decrease of 1.8 percent in October with sales totaling $19.7 million; sales to-date decreased by 18.8 percent. Religious Books saw a decrease of 8.5 percent for the month with sales totaling $60.3 million; sales were down by 10.7 percent for the year. Sales of University Press Hardcover books reflected a 1.5 percent decrease in October with sales of $5.3 million; sales decreased by 6.4 percent for the year. University Press Paperback sales posted a decrease of 1.4 percent for the month with sales totaling $3.6 million; sales were down 2.6 percent for the year. Sales in the Professional and Scholarly category were up by 3.5 percent in October ($48.0 million) but decreased by 3.9 percent for the year. Higher Education publishing sales rose by 6.9 percent for the month ($-23.4 million) and increased 13.1 percent for the year. The net El-Hi (elementary/high school) basal and supplemental K-12 category posted an increase of 29.6 percent in October with sales of $190.6 million; the category was down by 16.8 percent for the year.
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.
I italicized all the data about college textbooks and related categories. Note that college textbooks are doing well, even as we went through a major recession, while most other sectors of book publishing are down.
I also noted with interest the large increase in sales of e-books, which means they are winning greater acceptance, although their percentage of total book sales is still very small.
Much of my current writing focuses on creating and selling e-books. So far I’ve written Writing College Textbook Supplements: The Definitive Guide to Winning High-Paying Assignments in the College Textbook Publishing Market, and Maximum Productivity For Freelance Writers: Manage Your Time, Make More Money, and Get More Enjoyment From Life, and I have more e-books coming.
