Finance

Revenue at Penguin Random House rose to €3.64 billion last year and earnings increased to €561 million. CEO Markus Dohle noted that despite the record year, the spread of the coronavirus means adjustments to the business are forthcoming.

Unit sales of print books fell 10% for the week ended March 14 compared to the previous week, according to NPD BookScan. The juvenile nonfiction category was the only segment in which sales rose last week.

The widespread school closings caused by the new coronavirus will mean disruptions to Scholastic's book fair, book club, and educational businesses in the quarter ended May 31, company chairman Dick Robinson reported.

Sales of adult trade books fell 2.7% in 2019 compared to 2018, while sales in the children/young adult segment rose 6.8%, according to AAP’s StatShot program.

Industry sales rose 1.8% in 2019 over 2018 at the 1,361 publishers who report sales to AAP's StatShot program. Sales of adult books fell 2.7% in 2019 compared to 2018, while sales in the children/young adult segment rose 6.8%.

Unit sales of print books had one of their worst weeks so far in 2020 in late February. Units fell 4% in the week ended Feb. 29, 2020, compared to the week ended Mar. 2, 2019, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan.

For the quarter ended January 31, 2020, John Wiley reported that revenue rose 4% over last year’s third quarter, to $467.1 million, and net income increased 1.4%, to $35.4 million.

Unit sales of print books rose 0.9% in the week ended Feb. 22, 2020, over the comparable week in 2019, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan.

Profits rose at Hachette Book Group last year over 2018 despite a 1% decline in revenue. The earnings increase was attributed to improved operating efficiencies in the year, along with higher sales of digital audiobooks.

Revenue at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books & Media fell 9.9% in 2019, to $180.0 million, and the division had a net loss of $8.1 million, compared to net income of $2.4 million in 2018. A decline in licensing income was cited as the main reason for the sales drop.