From the Association of American Publishers:
For the first three quarters of the year publishers’ revenues (sales to bookstores, wholesalers, direct to consumer, online retailers, etc.) were flat (-0.5%) compared to the same period in 2016. Trade books saw slightly declining revenues (-0.9%) for the year-to-date.
The book publishing industry’s largest category (31.1% of the market) Adult Books – was flat (+0.4%) for the year-to-date. Conversely, both Children’s and Young Adult Books (-3.5%) and Religious Presses (-3.3%) saw declines.
The categories with the most growth were those with small shares of the overall book publishing market -Professional Books (+6.2%) and University Presses (+4.6%).
Total Trade Net Revenue by Category for First Three Quarters of 2017 (in millions)*
Jan. – Sept. 2017 Jan. – Sept. 2016 Percent Change Adult Fiction/Non-Fiction $3,507.0
$3,491.8
+0.4%
Children’s/YA $1,362.6
$1,412.5
-3.5%
Religious Presses $313.3
$323.9
-3.3%
Total Trade $5,183.0
$5,228.2
-0.9%
Trade Book Formats
Downloaded audio has been growing by double digits over the past three years, and the first three quarters of 2017 reflect continued growth, with publisher revenue up +26.2%. Notably, with revenues of $244.8 million for Jan. – Sept. 2017, downloaded audio is two months ahead in revenue that in was in 2016 (revenue for Jan. – Nov. 2016 was $244.1 million.)
Publisher revenues for eBooks generally decline, with publisher revenues down -5.5% for the first three quarters of 2017 vs 2016. One exception is Religious Presses, which has seen +9.5% growth in eBooks for the first nine months of 2017 compared to 2016, with revenues climbing from $25.9 million to $28.4 million.
Nine Month Total Trade Net Revenue by Format (in millions)
Jan. – Sept. 2017 Jan. – Sept. 2016 Percent Change eBooks $835.9
$884.8
-5.5%
Hardback $1,799.7
$1,786.7
+0.7%
Paperback & Mass Market $1,983.8
$2,045.6
-3.0%
Downloaded Audio $244.8
$194.0
+26.2%
Other (physical audio, board book) $563.6
$511.1
+10.3%
Education and Scholarly Publishing
The education sector saw mixed results, with +2.0% growth in Higher Education Course Materials and a 3.8% decline in PreK-12 Instructional Materials year-to-date.
Revenues for Professional Books increased by +6.2% and University Presses increased +4.6% in from Jan. – Sept. 2017 compared to the same time in 2016.
Two items of note – revenue growth in medical books was up +14.8% year-to-date and University eBooks had a strong September contributing to a +3.0% year-to-date revenue growth.
About Gary Price
