Finance

Led by higher licensing revenue, sales at HMH Books & Media rose 11.2% in the first quarter of 2019 over the comparable period in 2018. Sales of print books fell in the quarter.

Strong sales of Christian books, backlist titles, and downloadable audiobooks led to a 29% increase in earnings at HarperCollins in the quarter ended March 31, 2019, over the comparable period last year.

Revenue at Hachette Book Group rose 3.3% in the first quarter ended March 31, 2019, over the comparable period in 2018.

The e-tailer's operating income jumped in the first quarter of 2019, rising to $4.4 billion, from $1.9 billion, in the first period of 2018.

Sales of adult trade books rose 6.6% in February over February 2018 after slumping in January, while sales of children/young adult books had a second consecutive month of good sales increases, according to the AAP.

While sales in Hudson Group's literature category dropped 5% in 2018 compared to 2017, book sales were about flat with 2017. Hudson operates about 60 bookstores in airports and sells books in another 500 of Hudson's 1,082 locations.

Revenue at Penguin Random House rose 1.9% in 2018 over 2017 and earnings increased 1.3%. PRH global CEO Markus Dohle said he expects to see more gains in 2019 due in part to more increases in digital audio sales and expanding global book markets.

Revenue rose 4% at Scholastic in the third quarter of fiscal 2019 over the comparable period a year ago, but higher costs caused the publisher to say its earnings for the full year will come in at the lower end of its forecast.

Sales of adult trade books fell 7.3% in January compared to the first month of 2018, according to the AAP’s StatShot program. Sales in the children’s/young adult category rose 4.3%.

Earnings at Lagardère Publishing fell 9.6% in 2018 compared to 2017, but increased at its U.S. subsidiary, Hachette Book Group, where sales were up 3.7%.