Industry Statistics

Among the topics put forth at morning sessions on Thursday, January 17, at the Digital Book World Conference + Expo were a discussion on how Kobo is helping independent bookstores reach the e-book market and a look at consumers’ attitudes toward e-books and how they’ve changed over the course of just a few years.

ABA welcomed 43 indie bookstores that opened in 2012 in 25 states. Among them were six branches of existing businesses and seven selling primarily used books. California is home to seven new stores; New York, five; Florida and Texas, three; and Kansas, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina, two.

Communities as different as Las Vegas, New Mexico, and Louisville, Kentucky, have at least one thing in common: Their independent businesses recirculate a substantially greater proportion of their revenues back into the local economy than do their chain competitors.

On Tuesday, January 15,  at the Children’s Publishing Goes Digital Conference in NYC, two sessions presented key findings from recent studies on influencers of children’s book choices, methods of discovery, and attitudes towards books and reading.

November 2012 retail sales at bookstores were up 3.3 percent compared to November 2011, according to preliminary figures recently released by the Bureau of the Census.

ABA CEO Oren Teicher points to a number of indicators of the vitality of the independent bookstore channel in 2012 in his first letter to members of the New Year.

October retail sales at bookstores were up 4.6 percent compared to the same period last year, according to preliminary figures recently released by the Bureau of the Census.

September retail sales at bookstores were down 8.2 percent compared to the same period last year, according to preliminary figures recently released by the Bureau of the Census.

Recently released studies focusing on the economic impact of indies in four different areas of the country have reached the same conclusion: Independent businesses return far more of their revenue to their local communities than do chains.

Pew study examines younger Americans’ reading and library habits; Bowker finds triple-digit growth in self-publishing; S&S adult reorganizes; Pinsker named president of Klutz

After four consecutive months of sales increases, August retail sales at bookstores were down 0.8 percent compared to the same period last year, according to preliminary figures recently released by the Bureau of the Census.

The rapidly changing book industry —  and how publishers and retailers are currently handling, and will in the future handle, change — from digital data advances to e-books was the main focus of the Book Industry Study Group’s annual meeting, held in New York City on Friday, September 28.

July retail sales at bookstores were up 1.2 percent, which marks the fourth consecutive month of increased sales compared to the same period last year, according to preliminary figures recently released by the Bureau of the Census.

June retail sales at bookstores were up 3.8 percent, which marks the third consecutive month of increased sales compared to the same period last year, according to preliminary figures recently released by the Bureau of the Census.

Ingram offers extended terms on calendars; Google to buy Frommer’s travel guides; Gen Y takes lead in book buying; NAIPR Basic goes live; WNBA launches annual writing contest; Thurber and SCIBA award finalists announced