Total net book sales in January in the U.S. slipped 0.7%, to $1.198 billion, compared to January 2024, representing sales of 1,297 publishers and distributed clients as reported to the Association of American Publishers.
Net revenue for trade books slipped 0.3%, to $741.5 million in January. Net sales of adult books fell 3.2%, with adult fiction down 5.7% and adult nonfiction slipping 0.3%. Net sales of children's & YA books rose 5%, with nonfiction up 21.6% and fiction up 1.7%. Net sales of religious books rose 7.1%, the 10th consecutive month of increases in this category.
In terms of format, trade hardcover revenues rose 0.1%, to $267.5 million; paperbacks dropped 4.3%, to $254.6 million; mass market dropped 16.7%, to $11.2 million; and special bindings jumped 18.8%, to $19.9 million.
Sales by category for January 2025:
