The Association of American Publishers reported this afternoon that book sales for the month of August were up 9.8 percent, which kept the rise in year-to-date sales at 11.2 percent. And you know what? It’s almost certainly the lingering effects of Potter-mania, because adult hardcover sales were down 21.3 percent for the month, bringing in $93.1 million, but the children’s/YA hardcovers were up 58.6 percent, with sales of $105.9 million.
So, who wants to predict how much of that July sales spike bookstores managed to lose after the initial Deathly Hallows rush? Let’s see what the monthly Census Bureau stats tell us in the next couple days…