Finance

Final estimates by the Association of American Publishers put total 2017 industry sales at $26.23 billion, down slightly from the $26.27 billion generated in 2016.

Blockbuster sales of 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' helped drive revenue to $1.74 billion in fiscal 2017, but without a comparable hit, sales fell 6% in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2018. Operating income dropped 38%.

With unit sales of print books rising 4% in the adult nonfiction segment—the industry’s largest major category—total unit sales for the first half of 2018 increased 2% over the comparable period in 2017 at outlets that report to NPD BookScan.

Oxford University Press has reported a slight decline in revenue and net profit for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, compared to fiscal 2017.

Acquisitions offset declines in comparable store sales in the Barnes & Noble College Booksellers division of Barnes & Noble Education, leading to a 17.6% increase in sales at the company for the fiscal year ended April 28, 2018, over fiscal 2017.

Total sales at Barnes & Noble fell 6.0% in the fiscal year ended April 28, 2018, compared to fiscal 2017, and the retailer posted a net loss of $125.5 million last year, compared to net income of $22.0 million in fiscal 2017.

Revenue fell 2% in John Wiley's publishing division in the fiscal year ended April 30, compared to fiscal 2017. However, increases in the company's other two groups led to a 5% increase in sales and a 16% gain in earnings for the entire company.

May was a quiet month for both the stock market and the Publishers Weekly Stock Index.

Sales of adult trade books rose 5.2% in the first quarter of 2018 over the comparable period in 2017, according to preliminary estimates released by the AAP. Sales in the children's/young adult segment increased 5.9% over last year's first quarter.

The big jump in profits came on a 6% increase in sales, with revenue reaching $112 million.