Bookstore sales dipped 3.2 percent during the first two months of 2009, falling to $3.32 billion. At the same time however, sales for all retail tumbled 9.9 percent.
As GalleyCat reported in February, the Association of American Publishers noted that 2008 ended on a positive note, as sales rose 9.7 percent in December compared to the previous year.
Publishers Weekly has more details: “Bookstore sales, which were bolstered somewhat in January by back-to-school buying at college stores, declined 10.8 percent in February, to $1.02 billion. Sales for the full retail sector fell 11.5 percent in the month.”