The publishing industry has faced a tumultuous year with the election cycle, the decreased demand for adult coloring books and the lack of a breakout bestseller. People still bought books in droves and the sales of hardcover/paperback sales rose by 3.3% in 2016.
Most print formats had an outstanding year, with hardcover up 5.4%, trade paperback up 4%, and board books up 7.4%. Mass market has been on the wane since the introduction of e-books, and its slide continued in 2016 with a 7.7% drop in unit sales. Physical audio, where sales were down 13.5% on the year, but digital audio doubled.
Unit Sales of Print Books (in thousands), 2013–2016
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | Change 2015–2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 620,044 | 635,093 | 652,673 | 674,151 | 3.29% |
| By Channel | |||||
| Retail & Club | 501,658 | 518,901 | 546,719 | 573,761 | 4.95% |
| Mass Merch./Other | 118,385 | 116,191 | 105,953 | 100,389 | -5.25% |
| By Category | |||||
| Adult Nonfiction | 236,833 | 240,130 | 256,042 | 273,589 | 6.85% |
| Adult Fiction | 150,590 | 138,712 | 141,690 | 140,221 | -1.04% |
| Juvenile Nonfiction | 42,283 | 48,882 | 54,624 | 55,456 | 1.52% |
| Juvenile Fiction | 157,707 | 176,685 | 171,383 | 171,605 | 0.13% |
| By Format | |||||
| Hardcover | 168,250 | 173,483 | 178,255 | 187,940 | 5.43% |
| Trade Paper | 324,701 | 338,940 | 355,737 | 370,019 | 4.01% |
| Mass Market | 80,020 | 71,758 | 64,318 | 59,357 | -7.71% |
| Board Books | 23,069 | 27,092 | 30,978 | 33,280 | 7.43% |
| Audio | 5,116 | 5,128 | 4,434 | 3,836 | -13.49% |
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.