Circana BookScan, which tracks US book sales, predicts a strong holiday season that may leave the industry with better sales than it enjoyed in 2023. Analyst Brenna Connor writes, “Consumer engagement with books is high … with sales volume growing between 1 percent and 4 percent compared to last year, with stronger MSRP dollar growth. This holiday there will be a focus on value for many shoppers. Books have a high perceived value for the price point, which will serve the industry well this season.”
Also: HarperCollins is seeing profits increase due to increased audiobook sales (attributed to the Spotify partnership), as well as a spike in sales for VP-elect J.D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy. Profits are likely to look even better once the AI licensing deal hits the books. Learn more.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
