AAP Reports U.S. Publisher Revenues Up 1.6% (Overall) to $1.05 Billion in May 2015, Professional Publishing Down 28.5%

From the AAP:

Publisher net revenue is tracked monthly by the Association of American Publishers (AAP) and includes sales data from more than 1,200 publishers (#AAPStats). Figures represent publishers’ net revenue for the U.S. (i.e. what publishers sell to bookstores, direct to consumer, online venues, etc.), and are not retailer/consumer sales figures.
All measured categories in Trade Books grew in May 2016. Bolstered by increases in Adult Books (8.9%) and Religious Presses (15.6%), Trade Books grew a total of 7.8% to $570.0 million in May 2016 compared to May 2015. While April and May provided two months of gains in Trade, revenue was still down year-to-date by 2.6% compared to the same five months in 2015.
Overall publisher revenue for all tracked categories in May 2016 (Trade, PreK-12 Instructional Materials, Higher Education Course Materials, Professional Publishing, and University Presses) was up 1.6% vs May 2015; however, it remains down year-to-date by 3.3%.
Overview

• Publishers revenue from book sales for May 2016 was $1.05 billion, up 1.6% from May 2015. These numbers include sales for all tracked categories.
  • Year-to-date, sales were down 3.3% to $3.89 billion vs. the same four months in 2015.

• Trade (consumer) Books sales were $570.0 million in May 2016, up 7.8% from May 2015. Year-to-date, Trade is down 2.6% compared to the same time in 2015. Trade numbers include Childrens/YA Books, Adult Books and Religious Books.

Trends for Trade

• The format trends that we’ve noted throughout the year – growth in paperback books and downloaded audio and decline in eBooks continued. In May 2016 vs. May 2015:
  • Paperback books grew 7.2%
  • Downloaded audio grew 14.9%
  • Hardback books grew 17.4%;
  • eBooks were down 18.2%

• Religious Presses is the category with the most growth year-to-date. It’s shown growth every month to-date from the prior year. Though it’s a relatively small category with a total revenue of $176.1 million, it’s earned 8.9% growth this year.

Educational Materials and Professional Books

• Educational Materials were up 7.2% for PreK-12 Instructional Materials and down 16.7% for Higher Education Course Materials in May 2016 vs. May 2015. These numbers have fluctuated throughout 2016 due to seasonal variations. The year-to-date numbers are more representative of trends, with flat revenues of +0.8% for PreK-12 and decline of 2.6% in Higher Ed.

• Professional Publishing was down 28.5% in May 2016 vs. May 2015. These categories include business, medical, law, scientific and technical books. University presses were up 4.4%. Year to date, professional books are down year-to-date, and university presses are flat.

Filed under: Companies (Publishers/Vendors), Data Files, News, Publishing, Reports