Spring Sales
FROM PUBLISHING
TRENDS (APRIL 2002)
The
drumbeat of optimism was heard on the floor of the London
Book Fair (see article),
and it is echoing in the corridors of New York publishers,
as well: Sales, it appears, are improving. The AAP
came out with stats that chart a “meager” growth
rate in 2001 of 0.1% overall, with trade sales actually
dropping 2.6%. But 2002 has started with a nice bump
in sales in many categories, according to the latest
Bookscan figures. The overall figures show an
increase in unit sales of approximately 10% for the
first eleven weeks of 2002, compared with the same period
in 2001. History continues to show strength, even surpassing
the jump in sales that began in the aftermath of September
11. Romance, which was very soft in the fall, has jumped
up 14% over last spring’s sales. The cooking and entertaining
category has softened since the fall, but is still up
over last spring’s numbers by almost 12%, while gardening
is down somewhat. Travel is still down, but the post-September
freefall is over. The same cannot be said for computer
books: the stagnating sales of PCs have taken their
toll on manuals, which are down 20%.
©2002
Publishing Trends
