Circana Bookscan Reports U.S. Book Market Sales Hold Steady in Q3

From a Circana Release:

The print book market remained steady through the third quarter, maintaining a -1% year-over-year sales change — consistent with Q2 performance. On a unit basis, the adult market accounted for 80% of the declines measured over the past three months, with adult fiction representing half of those losses (50%). The normalization of adult fiction sales volume continues to be a key factor in this decline. In contrast, the children’s market posted gains, growing 2% in units during the third quarter, led by the non-fiction segment.

Adult & YA Market

• Adult Non-Fiction sales declined in Q3, but at a slower rate, improving year-to-date performance versus Q2. Last year’s “Hillbilly Elegy” election boost created a difficult comp, though strength in self-help, memoir, and religion & Bibles is offsetting losses.
• Adult Fiction is the steepest underperformer in Q3 with sales dropping 1.3M vs last year. Romance and thrillers are the hardest hit categories, while science fiction and classics are bright spots.
• Young Adult unit sales dropped 4% in Q3 with fantasy contributing the most declines.

Kids’ Market

• The kids’ market is the top growth segment in the book market in Q3. Juvenile non-fiction sales grew 6% and juvenile fiction sales were up 1% in third quarter vs. same time last year.
• By age, infant books remain the top performing segment with sales up double-digits (13%) in Q3. Middle grade readers remain the most challenged segment with sales down 2% in Q3. Young readers, the largest age segment by sales volume, held flat in Q3.
• The shift in market performance suggests parents are prioritizing educational content and enrichment activities for their children while reducing discretionary spending on themselves.

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