Having told you earlier this week about the ongoing slump in bookstore sales, it’s time to share the good news: After a minor blip in April, the Association of American Publishers is reporting this morning that May’s publishing sales rose by 18.3 percent, with a 8.9 percent boost in sales over the first five months of 2007.
Funnily enough, one of the few major categories not to share in the tidal uplift was children’s and young adult hardcovers, which slipped 4.4 percent in May. On the other hand, it’s still 14.3 percent ahead of the game for 2007, and apparently there’s some book coming out Saturday that may skew the July figures slightly.