AAP has today released their March 2009 sales figures, produced by Management Practice. 

 Sales for the Month were down 17.0 percent on the previous March.  Sales for the calendar year-to-date are down 6.8%.  Sales fell in most categories with the exception of ebooks and higher education text books.

May 15, 2009, New York, NY: Book sales tracked by the Association of American Publishers (AAP) for the month of March decreased by 17.0 percent at $388.4 million and were down by 6.8 percent for the year.

The Adult Hardcover category was down by 19.4 percent in March with sales of $80.0 million; year-to-date sales were down by 19.3 percent. Adult Paperback sales decreased 35.8 percent for the month ($89.1 million) and decreased by 33.1 percent for the year. The Adult Mass Market category was down 4.3 percent for March with sales totaling $65.4 million; sales were also down by 11.9 percent year-to-date. The Children's/YA Hardcover category rose 6.7 percent for the month with sales of $51.7 million, and sales for year-to-date were up by 40.8 percent. The Children's/YA Paperback category was down by 14.1 percent in March with sales totaling $44.3 million; sales increased by 0.4 percent for the year.

Audio Book sales posted a decrease of 43.3 percent in March with sales totaling $7.6 million; sales for the whole year were down by 47.1 percent. E-books sales jumped up by 110.4 percent for the month ($10.0 million), reflecting an increase of 131.0 percent for the year. Religious Books saw a decrease of 11.4 percent for the month with sales totaling $44.1 million; sales were down by 12.0 percent for the year.

Sales of University Press Hardcover books reflected a 7.8% decrease in March with sales of $5.1 million; sales decreased by 6.3 percent for the year. University Press Paperback sales posted a decrease of 20.7 percent for the month with sales totaling $2.8 million; sales were down 6.2 percent for the year. Sales in the Professional and Scholarly category were down by 17.1 percent in March ($37.8 million) and decreased by 12.2 percent for the year.

Higher Education publishing sales posted an increase of 20.2 percent for the month ($-50.3 million) and increased 33.0 percent for the year. Finally, the net El-Hi (elementary/high school) basal and supplemental K-12 category posted a decrease of 12.0 percent in March with sales of $139.9 million; the category was down by 13.3 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

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