Despite sales flagging over the holiday week, it’s not all bad news for books
Catching up with PW's Andrew Albanese
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Over the long weekend after Thanksgiving, more than 174 million Americans went shopping in stores and online, according to The National Retail Federation. Remarkably, one-third of those shoppers only did their buying online.
As for book sales, the numbers are already in for book sales last week, reports Andrew Albanese, Publishers Weekly senior writer.
“The holiday season is off to a slow start, he tells CCC’s Chris Kenneally. “Overall, total print sales fell 3% in the Thanksgiving week ended November 26, compared to the comparable week in 2016, according to NPD BookScan. In the mass merchandiser channel, unit sales fell 9% compared to last year, while sales to retailers and clubs slipped 1%.
“But despite sales flagging over the holiday week, and stumbling a bit in the summer months, it’s not all bad news,” Albanese notes. “NPD reports that print units are still up 2% in the first 47 weeks of 2017, over 2016.”
Every Friday, CCC’s “Beyond the Book” speaks with the editors and reporters of “Publishers Weekly” for an early look at the news that publishers, editors, authors, agents and librarians will be talking about when they return to work on Monday.