Through May 28, the US print books market finished 7 percent lower versus last year. Despite losses, 2022 remains the second-strongest year on record in NPD BookScan (2021 was the strongest).
- Overall, adult nonfiction continues to see the biggest declines, down 10 percent in print YTD and 28 percent in ebook format through February 2022.
- At the end of May, BookTok authors—Emily Henry, Colleen Hoover (two titles), and Taylor Jenkins Reid—held four of the top 10 bestseller spots.
First-quarter reports are starting to roll in from traditional publishers, offering a clearer picture of the state of US book sales in 2022.
- HarperCollins saw a 5 percent sales increase over 2021 but a profit decline of 16 percent due to higher costs for printing, paper, and freight.
- Hachette sales grew 8.8 percent (no profit figures available).
- Simon & Schuster saw sales increase 17 percent over last year, with an 85 percent jump in profits attributed to backlist sales and better sell-through (or: lower returns).
- The Association of American Publishers’ most recent StatShot report (from March 2022) reflects a sales increase of 1 percent versus last year. This paints a rosier picture than the one coming from NPD BookScan, which has reported an 8–9 percent decline in print unit sales during the first quarter. Possibly the difference is the result of higher book prices.
In other countries:
- Ebook sales in 2021 fell to their lowest point since 2012 in the UK. Currently about one in five books purchased is an ebook. Print books, meanwhile, kept pace with 2020 sales.
- Canada’s chain bookstore, Indigo, recently reported results for the fiscal year ending on April 2. They enjoyed full-year sales of $1.06 billion, a new all-time high and comparable to 2019 results. Gains were driven by stronger sales, more full-priced sales, and better promotions.
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.
