Tuesday, August 4, 2020

Surprise: Book Sales Are Not Infected By Corona

Sales Increasing Indicates Progress Report And Data - License ...

The book industry, overall, is weathering the pandemic as well as can be expected. This year could finish even stronger if more stores in remain open come the holiday season, but so far, so good.

Book sales, by the number of books sold, are up by 3.6%  thus far, versus 2019. This is based on an NPD BookSccan, a service that captures 75 to 80% of all book sales. the biggest gains have come form graphic novels -- which are up 10.3% -- and from children's nonfiction, which have jumped by 26%. However, some chunks of book sales have come form reduced prices, so it's too early to say if more money is actually being made versus last year.

E-book sales in America are up 4% versus last year, through May, after many years of decline.

2019 proved to be an okay year for book publishing. According to a recent report from the Association of American Publishers, total book sales rose from 2018 to 2019 by 1.1%, to 25.93 billion dollars. Research showed a surge in sales from the Pre-K to 12th grade category -- a 20% jump in one year. 

One disturbing note in AAP's report: Over the past five years, online sales rose by 20% while sales through physical retail dropped by 36%. This does not bode well in 2020 for book stores,  Due to the corona closings, physical store sales will likely suffer double digit sales from a year ago.

You can see how book sales will grow once corona becomes less of a factor. Behold:

·         More stores that are open will mean more sales.
·         Stores that can allow more shoppers in their stores will mean more sales.
·         Without the fear of coronavirus browsing, more discovery book sales will occur. 
·         Stores provide a sense of community and if people can gather, hang in the cafe, or attend book signings, more books will sell. .

Further, some book publishers delayed book launches, ones that are sure to garner more sales, so when those hit the marketplace, look for another boost in sales.

Schools account for some book sales too. If these are closed, will parents buy books from stores for online learning? Probably, especially if libraries are closed.

There is a guessing - anticipation - reaction game going on here, but it is clear that books are being sold, so far, at a pace ahead of 2019, so this bodes well for the future.

I know we all can't wait for the pandemic to subside and disappear. But at least it is not sickening the book industry for now.


Recent Posts

Are These The Only 6 Reasons Authors Do Book Marketing?

Overcoming The 9 Stages Of Authors Marketing Books

Authors Should Pitch Stories Based On These Upcoming Days in The Rest Of 2020

How Do Authors Find What Works In Book Marketing?

Simplifying Book Marketing So That Anyone Can Do It

How Should Authors Promote Books During A Plague?

10 Tips For Pitching Books To The Media Now

The Right Social Media Strategy For Authors 

Are You Really Ready To Write, Publish & Market Your book?

Powerful 2020 Book Marketing Toolkit -- FREE

The Bestseller Code For Book Marketers & Authors


Brian Feinblum’s insightful views, provocative opinions, and interesting ideas expressed in this terrific blog are his alone and not that of his employer or anyone else. You can – and should -- follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels much more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2020. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s Independent.  This was named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. Also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.