From an American Publishers Association StatShot:
Publishers’ revenue for trade (consumer) books increased by $56.7 million (+11.2%) for July 2018 compared to July 2017 and $174.4 Million (+4.7%) for the first seven months of 2018 (Jan. – July). Publisher revenues in all trade book categories – Adult Books, Children’s/YA and Religious Presses – saw double-digit gains over July 2017.
Outside of trade books, only K-12 Instructional Materials saw publisher revenue growth for July 2018, which was up by +7.7% compared to July 2017. Overall publisher revenue for the year-to-date was down by -1.5% compared to the first seven months of 2017.
These revenues from AAP’s StatShot Monthly Report, which comparatively tracks publisher revenue each month, represent all tracked categories (Trade, PreK-12 Instructional Materials, Higher Education Course Materials, Professional Publishing, and University Presses).
Trade Publishing
Jan. to July: Trade Book Revenue (in millions)
Jan. – July 2018
Jan. – July 2017
Percent Change
Adult Fiction/Non-Fiction $2,617.4
$2,487.6
+5.2%
Children’s/YA $996.9
$980.2
+1.7%
Religious Presses $282.0
$254.1
+11.0%
Total $3,896.3
$3,721.9
+4.7%
Print books generally saw revenue growth, with a combined $2.85 billion in publisher revenue for the first seven months of 2018 – up by $124.6 million from the same timeframe 2017. Previous trends for digital books continued, with publisher revenue for audiobooks up and eBooks down.
Jan. to July: Total Trade Net Revenue by Format (in millions)
Jan. – July 2018
Jan. – July 2017
Percent Change
Hardback $1,328.5
$1,238.8
+7.2%
Paperback & Mass Market $1,460.2
$1,423.0
+2.6%
eBooks $588.8
$619.6
-5.0%
Downloaded Audio $253.1
$185.6
+36.4%
Physical Audio $23.4
$29.2
-19.9%
Board Books $64.9
$67.2
-3.5%
Other $177.6
$158.5
+12.0%
Education and Scholarly Publishing
Revenue for education and scholarly publishers declined for the first seven months of 2018 compared to 2017. In July, only PreK-12 had revenue growth for publishers, and was up by $43.4 million (+7.7%).
Jan. to July: Education and Scholarly Publishing (in millions)
Jan. – July 2018
Jan. – July 2017
Percent Change
Higher Ed Course Materials $1,560.3
$1,703.5
-8.4%
PreK-12 Instructional Materials $1,629.4
$1,743.4
-6.5%
Professional Books $529.4
$563.9
-6.1%
University Presses $29.6
$31.1
-4.9%
Publisher net revenue is tracked monthly by the Association of American Publishers (AAP) and includes revenue from about 1,100 publishers, with participation subject to change over time.
See Also: NPD Group (NPD Bookscan) Reports Print Book Sales Rose 2 Percent in the First Half of 2018
About Gary Price
