The Chicago River is dyed green for St. Patrick’s Day in March. Image = Getty iStockphoto: KKStock
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
Six Million Units Below the March 2023 Level
In her new at the United States’ print book sales market in March, analyst and senior executive director Kristen McLean at Circana BookScan from Circana Entertainment Knowledge Group sees a mixed picture in the rear-view mirror.
“While 2024’s Easter sales peak out-performed the same period in 2023,” she writes, “other areas of softness including slower Dr. Seuss Month sales [so named for Theodor Geisel’s March 2 birthday], softer adult nonfiction sales, and tough comps to some big books last year all combined to bring the month in 2 percent under March 2023.
Kristen McLean
“The net result,” McLean says, “was a year-to-date finish of -3 percent on a unit basis, on a volume of 195 million units in Q1, which is 6 million units below the same point last year.”
As she points out, however, smart context reminds us that this is 15 percent ahead of Q1 2019.
“The market is still very healthy compared to before the pandemic,” McLean writes in her summation, “a positive signal in and of itself.”
Image: Circana BookScan through the week ending April 6, 2024. US print sales only
Top 10 US Print Bestsellers: March 2024
In terms of the Top 10 bestsellers that McLean faithfully provides, we have first the adult bestsellers for March, followed by the Top 10 children’s titles.
Note that the adult bestsellers also incorporate YA, young adult, titles rather than combining them with children’s books, as is often done.
Image: Circana BookScan, 5 weeks ending April 6, 2024, adult and young adult combined. US print sales only
In children’s US market bestsellers for March, McLean points out that 80 percent of the list’s titles aer “spring seasonal” books, the internationally popular Dav Pilkey grabbing the top spot with Dog Man: The Scarlett Shedder from Scholastic.
Image: Circana BookScan, 5 weeks ending April 6, 2024, juvenile market. US print sales only
More from Publishing Perspectives on industry statistics is here, and more on Circana research here. More on the work of Kristen McLean is here, and more on the United States book industry is here.
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