The Association of American Publishers reported on Wednesday that publisher revenues fell 5.5% in the month of November while staying up for the year.
Revenues from the YA segment were up 3% through November, while adult and religious press revenues were down. In terms of format, hardback sales were up, while ebook and paperback sales.
press release
Publishers saw decreased revenue (-5.4%) in November 2017 vs. November 2016, but year-to-date revenue remains up (+1.1%) compared to Jan. - Nov. 2016 in all tracked categories. Tracked categories include: Trade - fiction/non-fiction/religious, PreK-12 Instructional Materials, Higher Education Course Materials, Professional Publishing, and University Presses. The year-to-date growth is primarily attributed to gains in the two largest categories: Adult Books, up $129.7 million (+2.9%) and Higher Education Course Materials, up $114.3 million (+3.8%).
Publisher revenue for trade books was down for November by -4.0%, with declines in Adult, Childrens/YA and Religious Presses. Year-to-date, trade revenue is up by +1.0%, or $66.7 million.
Total Trade Net Revenue by Category for Jan. – Nov. 2017 (in millions)*
| Jan. - Nov. 2017 | Jan. - Nov. 2016 | Percent Change | |
| Adult Fiction/Non-Fiction |
$4,621.0 |
$4,491.3 |
+2.9% |
| Children’s/YA |
$1,879.7 |
$1,938.1 |
-3.0% |
| Religious Presses |
$416.4 |
$421.0 |
-1.1% |
| Total Trade |
$6917.0 |
$6,850.4 |
+1.0% |
Trade Book Formats
In November, downloaded audio (+44.8%) and board books (+1.5%) were the only categories to see increased revenue. However, during the Jan. – Nov. 2017 timeframe, publishers saw increased revenue for hardback books, downloaded audio and board books. Publisher revenue for eBooks continued to decline in all categories except one – religious presses, where eBooks are up +6.4% in November and +9.9% year-to-date.
Eleven Month Total Trade Net Revenue by Format (in millions)*
| Jan. – Nov. 2017 | Jan. – Nov. 2016 | Percent Change | |
| Hardback |
$2,636.3 |
$2,551.2 |
+3.3% |
| Paperback & Mass Market |
$2,502.7 |
$2,563.2 |
-1.7% |
| eBooks |
$1,012.7 |
$1,072.1 |
-5.5% |
| Downloaded Audio |
$309.6 |
$239.0 |
+29.5% |
| Board Books |
$133.4 |
$126.9 |
+5.1% |
| Other (incl physical audio) |
$304.3 |
$297.9 |
+2.1% |
Education and Scholarly Publishing
The education sector saw mixed results, with +3.8% revenue growth in Higher Education Course Materials and a -3.1% decline in PreK-12 Instructional Materials from Jan. – Nov. 2017.
Revenue for Professional Books increased by +14.8% for Nov. 2017 compared to Nov. 2016 and are up +10.5% year to date. University Press revenue declined -0.8% in November, but are up +4.8% year-to-date.
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