Publishers Weekly - May 23, 2016

“like hot cakes,” and that some adult titles also “sold briskly” at 50% off retail. The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Can I Sleep on Your Lap While You’re Pooping sold very well, he added.

Chicago was the first BookCon for Trinity University Press, whose director, Tom Payton, was manning the booth. Payton said one highlight was when a middle-aged man came to the booth early in the day and said that it “was the best stinking booth” at BookCon, calling it a “little adult center in a sea of young adult energy.” Payton hasn’t decided whether TUP will return to BookCon next year.

Also uncertain about whether it will go to BookCon in 2017 is Consortium Book Sales & Distribution, which was at the event for the first time in Chicago. V-p and director of marketing Jennifer Swihart said Consortium quickly gave out lots of free books from its publishers, but she wondered whether that approach is really engaging with readers. Of the eight Consortium publishers who took part in BookCon, two had a great experi-

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ; MAY 23, 2016 authors, not celebrities such as Khloé Kardashian, a big draw in 2014. The shift in the author lineup led to a slightly older audience this year; young teenagers were in the majority in New York. According to Reed, 60% of consumers at BookCon were under 30, with 34% in the 21–30 age bracket; 87% were female.

Publishers reported that they ran out of their most popular free items quickly. Todd Doughty, v-p and executive director of publicity for the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, said its signed copies of John Grisham’s The Litigators were gone in less than five minutes, and the same held true for the 10th-anniversary edition of The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. Galleys that went quickly included those of Carl Hiassen’s forthcoming novel Razor Girl and Nathan Hill’s The Nix. In addition, Knopf gave away hundreds of Knopf and Grisham tote bags, along with Knopf centenary T-shirts; all were gone by 1 p.m., Doughty said.

Jason Wells, director of publicity at Abrams, said its children’s titles sold

SOURCE: NIELSEN BOOKSCAN AND PUBLISHERS WEEKLY. NIELSEN BOOKSCAN’S U. S. CONSUMER MARKET PANEL COVERS APPROXIMATELY 80% OF THE PRINT BOOK MARKE T AND CONTINUES TO GRO W. Unit sales of print books rose 7% in the week ended May 15, 2016, compared to the similar week in 2015, at outlets that report to Nielsen BookScan. The juvenile nonfiction segment had the biggest gain in the week, with unit sales up 13%. Seuss-isms!

A Guide to Life for Those Just Starting Out... and Those Already on Their Way by Dr.

Seuss topped the juvenile nonfiction list, with more than 9,000 copies sold. National Geographic Kids Almanac 2017 had the strongest debut, selling more than 3,000 copies in its first week, putting it in fifth place on the category list. Unit sales in adult nonfiction increased 11% in the week over 2015, led by big gains for Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter, which sold more than 19,000 copies, as the book became widely available again in stores after being out of stock. The 6% gain in unit sales in the juvenile fiction category was helped by authors not necessarily thought of as children’s authors. Our Great Big Backyard by Laura Bush and Jenna Bush Hager sold more than 14,000 copies in its first week, landing it in third place on the juvenile fiction bestsellers list, while John Grisham’s The Scandal debuted in sixth place on the list with almost 10,000 copies sold. Adult fiction unit sales rose 4% in the week, with Jojo Moyes placing three editions of her Me Before You in the second, third, and fourth spots on the adult fiction list. The three books sold a total of approximately 75,000 copies, as the release date for the movie of the same name neared and marketing efforts increased.

MAY 17, MAY 15, CHGE CHGE 2015 2016* WEEK YTD

Adult Non;ction 4,342 4,808 11% 12% Adult Fiction 2,361 2,393 4% -0.2% Juvenile Non;ction 778 877 13% 11% Juvenile Fiction 2,435 2,593 6% 4%

Unit Sales of Print Books by Format

MAY 17, MAY 15, CHGE CHGE 2015 2016* WEEK YTD Hardcover 2,784 2,965 6% 7% Trade Paperback 5,719 6,288 10% 9% Mass Market Paperback 1,592 1,390 -13% -10% Board Books 389 442 14% 15% Audio 79 67 -15% -14% Unit Sales of Print Books by Channel

MAY 17, MAY 15, CHGE CHGE 2015 2016* WEEK YTD

Total 10,782 11,005 7% 7% Mass Merch./Other 1,490 1,521 2% -3% Retail & Club 8,782 9,484 8% 9%

*TOTALS FOR 2016 INCLUDE UNI TS SOLD THROUGH FAMILY CHRIS TIAN STORES. NO SALES THROUGH FAMILY CHRISTIAN ARE INCLUDED IN 2015.

ence, two did not like it at all, and four were ambivalent, she said, noting that one of the publishers who enjoyed BookCon used a contest to build its reader list during the show.

The biggest complaint from consumers, many of whom came from different parts of the country, was that BookCon wasn’t long enough. “It’s very stressful, having it on one day—a lot of the [panels] I want to go to overlap,” said Marissa Rodriguez, a teen from Philadelphia.

While many publishers prefer the one-day format, they also hope BookCon will grow. Quarto’s Bayuk said, “My marketing brain says expand—have BookCons all over the country.” Eugenia Pakalik, director of sales and marketing at Norton, called the Chicago event “great” and added, “Maybe someday, we’ll have BookCons in several cities.” Knopf’s Doughty offered a suggestion to help draw more consumers: invite them to the adult and children’s author breakfasts. “May BookCon grow,” he said.