In the Eastwood Metropark in Dayton, Ohio. Image – Getty: Ray Geiger
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
Trade Digital Audio Up 7.7 Percent in March
Picking up its pace, the Association of American Publishers (AAP)—having issued its StatShot report for February last week—today (May 20) moves on to its March 2025 assessment, citing total revenues across all categories up 7.3 percent over March 2024.
Year-to-date revenues, the AAP reports, were up 1.0 percent at US$3.2 billion for the January-through-March time frame.
As Publishing Perspectives readers know, the AAP’s numbers reflect reported revenue for tracked categories including trade (consumer books); religious presses; higher education course materials; and professional publishing.
Discussion from the StatShot assessment indicates that when compared to March 2024, gross sales were up 2.1 percent in March 2025, while net sales increased 4.4 percent, largely because of an 11.7-percent reduction in returns.
And of special interest in drivers, we read, “While paperback sales declined 3.5 percent in March 2025 when compared to March 2024, Hardback sales increased 19.8 percent. Year-to-date, paperback sales declined 8.1 percent and hardback sales increased 5.0 percent.
In children’s books, net sales increased 7.0 percent in March compared to March 2024 and are down 0.5 percent, year-to-date. In young readers’ books (children’s and YA), nonfiction increased 3.2 percent while fiction decreased 1.4 percent.
In the adult sector, digital audio accounted for 16.3 percent of fiction sales, with an 11.4 percent year-over-year increase and an 18.6 percent year-to-date increase.
Trade Revenues
Year-Over-Year Numbers
Trade revenues were up 4.4 percent in March over the same month last year, at $714.8 million.
In print formats:
- Hardback revenues were up a substantial 19.8 percent, coming in at $270.0 million
- Paperbacks were down 3.5 percent, with $249.3 million in revenue
- Mass market was down 55.4 percent to $3.5 million
- Special bindings were down 24.6 percent, with $11.3 million in revenue
In digital formats:
- Ebook revenues were up 3.6 percent for the month as compared to March 2024 for a total of $86.7 million
- The digital audio format was up 7.7 percent for March, coming in at $76.6 million in revenue
- Physical audio was down 61.5 percent, at $300,000
Year-to-Date Numbers
Year-to-date, the industry’s trade revenues were down 0.8 percent at $2.2 billion for the first three months of the year.
In print formats:
- Hardback revenues were up 5.0 percent, coming in at $794.7 billion
- Paperbacks were down 8.1 percent, with $739.3 million in revenue
- Mass market was down 30.9 percent to $20.7 million
- Special bindings were 3.7 percent, with $45.7 million in revenue
In digital formats:
- Ebook revenues were up 4.6 percent as compared to the first three months of 2024, for a total of $270.7 million
- The digital audio format was up 6.8 percent, coming in at $245.0 million in revenue
- Physical audio was down 36.0 percent, coming in at $1.2 million
Religious Press Performance
Year-Over-Year Numbers
Religious press revenues were up 6.1 percent in March, coming in at $62.7 million.
- Hardback revenues were up 3.5 percent to $37.3 million in revenue
- Paperback revenues were up 12.6 percent to $11.6 million
- Ebook revenues were up 0.3 percent, coming in at $4.2 million
- Digital audio revenues year-over-year were not reported in the religious press category.
Year-to-Date Numbers
On a year-to date basis, religious press revenues were up 3.8 percent, at $222.2 million.
- Hardback revenues were up 4.6 percent at $135.6 million in revenue
- Paperback revenues were up 0.4 percent to $41.9 million
- Ebook revenues were down 13.0 percent at $13.2 million
- Digital audio revenues year-to-date were not reported in the religious press category.
Higher Education
During March 2025, revenues from higher education course materials were $147.0 million, up 28.9 percent compared with March 2024.
Year-to-date higher education course materials revenues were $747.3 million, up 8.2 percent compared to the first three months of 2024.
Professional Books
Professional books, including business, medical, law, technical and scientific, were down 5.0 percent during the month, coming in at $35.0 million.
Year-to-date, professional book revenues were $105.0 million, down 6.1 percent as compared to the first three months of 2024.
About the AAP StatShot Reports
The StatShot program provides this statement: “AAP StatShot reports the monthly and yearly net revenue of publishing houses from United States sales to bookstores, wholesalers, direct to consumer, online retailers, and other channels. StatShot draws revenue data from approximately 1,300 publishers, although participation may fluctuate slightly from report to report.
“StatShot reports are designed to give ongoing revenue snapshots across publishing sectors using the best data currently available. The reports reflect participants’ most recently reported revenue for current and previous periods, enabling readers to compare revenue on both a month-to-month and year-to-year basis within a given StatShot report.
“Monthly and yearly StatShot reports may not align completely across reporting periods, because: (a) The pool of StatShot participants may fluctuate from report to report; and (b) as in any business, it’s common accounting practice for publishing houses to update and restate their previously reported revenue data. If, for example, a business learns that its revenues were greater in a given year than its reports first indicated, it will restate the revenues in subsequent reports to AAP, permitting AAP in turn to report information that is more accurate than previously reported.”
More from Publishing Perspectives on industry statistics is here. More on the Association of American Publishers is here, more of our coverage of AAP StatShot reports is here, and more on the US market is here.