Publisher revenues were $662.2million in February 2016, up 4.2 percent from $597.4 million in Feb. 2015, according to the Association of American Publishers (AAP).
The trade organization released its latest StatShot, aggregated sales data from more than 1,200 publishers. The research revealed gains in children’s/YA books and religious presses, as well as declines in adult books. Adult titles earned $281.5 million in sales, down 6.6 percent from $301.2 million in Feb. 2015. Children’s/YA books earned publishers $101.2 million in sales in Feb. 2016, up 17 percent from $86.5 million in Feb 2015.
The data also showed that downloaded audio and print formats grew, while e-book sales slumped. Downloaded audio books continued to be the fastest-growing format, up 42.9 percent in February 2016 as compared to February 2015. Meanwhile, paperback book sales grew 9.8 percent, hardback sales were up 4.6 percent and e-books were down 18.7 percent.