Book Publisher Revenue up Slightly Through November 2017

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.

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.

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.
more at:  http://newsroom.publishers.org/book-publisher-revenue-up-slightly-through-november-2017/