Some bookstores slowly began reopening in the United States, but overall sales have been lacklustre. June bookstore sales fell 35.3% compared to a year ago, according to preliminary estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau. As steep as the June drop was, it was a marked improvement over May, when bookstore sales fell nearly 60%, to $270 million. Bookstore sales in June were $384 million, compared to $504 million last June.
Most chain bookstores in the US remained closed with only a handful that have reopened. Indie bookstores have less constraints and there are more smaller bookstores opened. The decline also incorporates online book sales, which means it is more likely that people are still buying print/hardcover books from Amazon, instead of chains such as B&N or Booksamillion.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
