Bookstores & Bookselling

According to NPD BookScan, print unit sales were down 1 percent from 2022 for the first week of the year.

2022 came in 5.8 percent below 2021 in terms of print unit sales, and the children’s market made up half of that decline.

Good news: The final week of holiday sales in 2022 outpaced the same week from 2021.

In our last issue, we discussed limitations Amazon has made to how many categories a book can rank in simultaneously.

According to NPD BookScan, this holiday season is underperforming compared to 2021.

This year’s holiday print book sales in the US are lining up closely with 2020, according to NPD BookScan.

TikTok in the UK is now selling books directly through TikTok—which isn’t a surprise, given their recent investment in fulfillment centers.

According to NPD BookScan, the holiday season this year is taking a less prosperous path than 2021 in the US book market.

Through the first three quarters of 2022, NPD BookScan reports that US print book sales are 5 percent down compared to 2021.

Book wholesaler and distributor Ingram has invested in the NFT ebook company Book.io.

Earlier this month, the Association of American Publishers released its 2021 sales figures.

For years now, Spotify has been on a long and clear march toward increasing profitability by making more non-music content available.

At a recent panel about the health of the industry, publishing experts envisioned a future where publishers and booksellers more directly “own” the readership.

NPD analyst Kristen McLean provided context for the allegation that half of the trade titles published each year sell fewer than a dozen copies.

Through August 2022, print book sales are down by 5 percent versus 2021, which is considered very good performance.

Overall, PRH sales increased by more than 6% but profits were down by 1.8% due to cost challenges related to supply chain and inflation.

The book club will feature five titles for adults annually—one for each season and one Pick of the Year.

The US chain plans to stock fewer hardcovers‚ especially children’s titles, which will force publishers and authors to re-evaluate their publishing and marketing strategies.

Not long after book wholesaler/distributor Ingram announced its expansion into the UK market, the UK book wholesaler Gardners is launching operations in the US.

Book sales are becoming more dependent on establishing trust with readers in an online environment.

Ingram is mandating that Lightning Source customers use a wholesale discount of at least 30 percent on new and old titles alike.

Ingram already offers print-on-demand and distribution services in the UK; starting in September, they will expand to offer book wholesaling, as they do in the US market.

Through a partnership with TalkShopLive (TSL), a streaming video shopping network, Walmart has launched Walmart Live Book Club.

The #BookTok challenge encourages TikTok users to engage in behavior they are already engaging in: reading books and sharing their reactions.

Through June 11, US print book sales were tracking 7 percent lower than in the same period in 2021, according to NPD Books.