Print Book Sales Flat in First Half of 2026 - Publishers Weekly

The industry needs a big bestseller.

Panzer made a stop at the Publishers Weekly site today.

 

There our traveling kitty found a post about print book sales. Compared  salesto the first half of 2025 this year's sales are flat. The print book sales figure is based on the adult and children's fiction and nonfiction total.

 

Panzer says, "The post includes a 2025 vs 2026 chart and a 2026 best seller chart."

 

Note: Because of the charts this is a long medium length post. Bring a glass of milk and two sugar cookies to snack on.

 

To read the post tootle over to Print Book Sales 

James Daunt Looks to Clarify B&N's Position on AI-Generated Books - Publishers Weekly

AI is definitely a fighting word for some people.

In a post yesterday Panzer gave you a link to a Today post about an interview with James Daunt, CEO of Barnes and Noble bookstores.

 

 In the interview James Daunt was asked about AI-Generated book sales. Apparently, some people were unhappy with his response, so he clarified the bookstores' stance and the Publishers Weekly posted about it. 

 

Panzer says, "Like this little kitty told you yesterday, 'Read the post all the way to the end'."

 

Note: This is a short-medium length post. Bring a cup of tea to drink. 

 

To read the post tootle over to James Daunt 

To read yesterday's post trundle over to Barnes and Noble CEO 

BookCon 2026: Where Fans Reign Supreme? - Publishers Daily

Watch where you're walking.

On his stop at the Publishers Daily site today Panzer learned after missing six years BookCon is back.

 

According to Iyana Jones and Sam Stratford's post, BookCon was a huge book sales success for publishers. However, some fan attendees weren't happy with the lack of crowd control or attendee ticket checking.

 

Panzer says, "So many people there, but nobody to make sure you know whose tail didn't get stepped on. Not good planning." 

 

Note:This is a long post. Bring a cup of cocoa, three chocolate chip cookies (biscuits), and a chocolate brownie. (You can never have to much chocolate.)

 

To read the post tootle over to BookCon 2026 

Ingram Library in Deal with Bound to Stay Bound Books - Publishers Daily

Let's see what else is out there.

Panzer found a news release about Ingram Library on the Publishers Daily site.

 

According to the news release, Ingram Library will have Bound to Stay Bound Books available on their direct to libraries sales platform.

 

 Note: This is a short news release. You won't need to bring anything to snack on.

 

To read the full news post tootle over to Ingram 

US Book Sales Finished 2025 with a Strong December, Adult Trade Finishes Down Slightly for the Year - Publishing Perspectives

Book sales are up.

Panzer found the post about the U.S. December books sales figures on the Publishing Perspectives site.

 

According to Editor-in-Chief Andrew Richard Albanese's post, books sales were better in 2025 than 2024. The post includes a comparison book sales chart for 2024 and 2025.

 

Panzer says, "This little kitty wonders why adult book sales were down."

 

Note:This is a medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and a chocolate chip cookie to snack on.

 

To read the post tootle over to U.S. Book Sales 

Bookstore.org Teams with Draft2Digital - Publishers Weekly

I feeel better today.

On his way home from the Catosphere Panzer made a stop at the Publishers Weekly site. There our traveling kitty boy found a post about Draft2Digital.

 

Ed Nawolka reports Draft2Digital and Bookshop.org have an agreement which allows D2D authors to sell their books through Bookshop.org.

 

Panzer says, "That's a whole new marketplace for indie authors."

 

Note:This is a long-short post. Bring a cup of tea to drink.

 

To read the post tootle over to Draft2Digital 

Publishing Sales Hit a Wall in July - Publishers Weekly

I wonder what the problem was.

Today, Panzer made a stop at the Publishers Weekly site. There he found a post about the dismal book sales in July.

 

According to Jim Milliot's post, all sections of the book market sales were down in July compared to last year. The post includes graphs demonstrating the declines.

 

Panzer says, "This is not good news for writers if their books aren't selling."

 

Note: This is a short-medium length post.Bring a cup of tea and three chocolate chip cookies (biscuits) to snack on.

 

To read the post tootle over to  Publishing Sales

Independent Publishers Are Fed Up with Barnes & Noble - Publishers Daily

There's more stores than them.

Panzer stopped at the Publishers Weekly site today. There he discovered an interesting post about Barnes and Noble's buying practices.

 

Jim Milliot's post quotes extensively from Barnes and Noble CEO James Daunt about his book inventory buying practices. 

 

Panzer says, "It explains why this little kitty's Barnes and Noble sales went to zero."

 

Note: This is a long, long post. You'll need to decide what you want to snack on.

 

To read the post tootle over to Independent Publishers 

Spain's Publishing Sectors Recovers to Pre-2008 Levels - Publishing Perspectives

There's a big increase in 2024 sales over 2023.

Today, Panzer's trip into the Catosphere took our intrepid traveler to the Publishing Perspectives site. There he discovered good news about Spain's book publishing.

 

According to Porter Anderson's post, Spain's publishing market has increased steadily in the last decade. 2024 was a stellar year for book sales and readership. The post includes links to other information and graphs to illustrate points mentioned in the post.

Panzer says, "Digital and audio books are a big part of it too."

 

Note: This is a long post. You'll need to decide what you want to snack on.

 

To read the post tootle over to Spain's Publishing Sector

Two to Avoid: Book Order Scams and Fake Reviews - Writer Beware (R)

She does a lot of work for writers.

Panzer found a new post at the Writer Beware (R) site. This one is about two scams writers need to watch out for.

 

Victoria Strauss explains the fake big book order scam and the fake reviews scam. Both will cost you a lot of money if your respond to them. There are several samples of the scammers come-ons included in the post.

 

Panzer says, "Victoria Strauss always investigates the scams and tells you about them, so you're prepared."

 

Note: This is a long-medium post. Bring a cup of tea and three chocolate chip cookies (biscuits) to snack on.

To read the post tootle over to Two Scamswrit

Bookscan Report Sees Favorable Near-Term Outlook for Books - Publishers Weekly

That's it for today. See you tomorrow.

Panzer's next stop today was at the Publishers Weekly site. There he found a post about the new Bookscan report.

 

The post by Jim Milliott gives a breakdown on Bookscan's report's projections for book sales in the coming year.

 

 Panzer says, "It's a good time to get your new books on the market."

 

Note. This is a medium length post. Bring a cup of tea to drink while you read about books' upcoming future.

 

To read the post tootle over to Bookscan Report

Fiction Sales Grow, Nonfiction Declines Across International Book Markets - Publishers Weekly

I'd like to have an international bestseller.

Tootling around in the Catosphere today, took our cute little kitty pilot to the Publishers Weekly site. There he found a post about a report at the London Book Fair.

 

According to Ed Nawotka's post, the report shows the global increase in fiction sales and decrease in nonfiction sales. The post includes illustrative charts to show where the increases and decreases have occurred.

 

Panzer says, "This little kitty thinks this is good information to have to know where to market our books."

 

Note: Because of the included charts, this is a long post. You'll need to decide what to bring to snack on while you read.

 

To read the post tootle over to International Book Sales

Five Years In at Barnes and Noble, James Daunt Says He's Not Done Yet - Publishers Weekly

He's got big plans for 2025.

Today's trip into the Catosphere took Panzer to the Publishers Weekly site. There our intrepid traveling kitty found a post about Barnes and Noble (B&N) bookstores.

 

According to Jim Milliot's post, 2024 was a good year for Barnes and Noble bookstores. The post covers book sales, bookstores, authors, new bookstores, physical books, and CEO James Daunt's plans for 2025. Several links are included to other information about B&N.

 

Panzer says, "It's an interesting interview."

 

Note: This is a long medium length post. You'll need to decide what to bring to snack on while you read.

 

To read the post tootle over to Barnes and Noble

Profits, Sales Up at WH Smith in Fiscal 2024 - Publishers Weekly

I'm not sure what it all means about US readers.

Panzer found this post at the Publishers Weekly site. It's a post about UK bookshops WH Smith.

 

According to the post by Neill Denny, WH Smith's sales are doing so well and profits are increasing so the company plans to open more bookstores in North America. The stores will primarily open in US airports.

 

Panzer says,"Hmm ... Interesting development. UK's WH Smith bookstore chain is coming to join UK company owned Barnes and Noble bookstore chain in the US books sales market."

 

Note: This is a medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and two chocolate chip cookies (biscuits) for your reading snack.

 

To read the post tootle over to WH Smith

Circana: US Print Book Sales Up 3 Million Units in May 2024 - Publishing Perspectives

I can write kitty romances.

Today, Panzer made a trip to the Publishing Perspectives site. There with no digging at all our traveling kitty boy found a post about US print book sales.

Porter Anderson's post explains Circana BookSpan's US book sales report. The post includes charts and graphs illustrating the category bestsellers of the month. Adult fiction seems to be the main upward driver of book sales. Links to other information are also included in the post.

Panzer says, "The post said thrillers and romances were tops."

Note: This is a long post. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin for today's reading.

To read the post tootle over to US Print Books

USA TODIAY Best-selling Booklist is back: How to find the list made for book lovers - USA TODAY

It's good news for authors.

This morning Panzer was shaken from his nap in his kitty bed by clapping and cheering coming from the Catosphere. Hopping in the Panzermobile, our adventuresome kitty boy followed all the hoopla to the USA TODAY site. With no digging at all he discovered the USA Today Bestsellers List is coming back. The list has been gone since December.

According to Barbara VanDerburgh, the list will appear both online and in print, but no specific  return date is given.

Panzer says, "It's been so long this little kitty didn't think it was ever coming back."

Note: This is a short-medium length post. Bring a cup of tea for your reading.

To read the post tootle over to USA Today Best-selling Booklist

How Working with Libraries Can Help Sell Your Books - Catapult

While Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere, he found another post about libraries and selling your books. This post is at the Catapult site. It's written by author and librarian Kerri Sullivan.

 

My work is finished for the day.

Kerri Sullivan's post is about doing programs for the library. These programs are not author signings. The author should put together information on a topic related to their book that an audience would find interesting. The post has a section on putting your program together and another on approaching libraries about library presentation opportunities.

Panzer says, "This is a post from last year, but all the information is still useful. It takes a deep look into what libraries really want and need from an author."

 

Note: This is a very long post. Bring a cup of tea, an apple and brownie for today's reading selection.

 

To read the post tootle over to libraries

Amazon Printing Press and Pricing Scams: What Authors Need to Know - Kindleprenuer

This is going to be a short post today. Our wi fi has been on and off all day, so we don't know how much time we've got to get this uploaded.

* * * * * * *

Today's trip into the Catosphere took Panzer to the Kindleprenuer site. There our intrepid kitty traveler found a post about scams using authors' stolen books being run on Amazon.

 

They can't fix our wi fi until tomorrow.

According to Jason Hamilton's post, people are stealing authors' books by printing bad quality books and then selling them on Amazon as either the books' publisher or the authors. The post also explains the repercussions for the authors from this activity. A second scam also using Amazon is discussed in the post as well.

 

Panzer says, "There's more to the post, but we need to hurry in case we lose our wi fi again."

 

Note: This is a medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin for today's reading selection.

 

To read the post tootle over to Amazon Printing

Judge Extends Discovery Deadline in Internet Archive Book Scanning Suit - Publishers Weekly

 Today's trip into the Catosphere took Panzer to the Publishers Weekly site. There with a little digging in the posts our illustrious kitty boy found one about the lawsuit against the Internet Archive. Panzer has been telling you about this ongoing court case since it began.

 

10 years?

According to Andrew Albanese's post, the judge in the lawsuit against Internet Archive (IA) has extended the discovery process until January 31, 2022. The lawsuit involves publishers Hachett, Penguin Random House, HarperCollins and Wiley suing the Internet Archive for its practice of scanning and lending the publishers' books without their permission and without payment. The discovery extension comes because the Internet Archive and the publishers have been unable to come to an agreement about IA's demand for the publishers' sales records for all of their print books from 2011 forward. Attorneys for the publishers say this would take months of work to provide this information and has nothing to do with the case. There are several links to other information included in the post.

 

Panzer says, "Ten years worth of books sales information for four major publishers? It gives this little kitty a headache just hearing about it."

 

Note: This is a long-medium length post. Bring a cup of cocoa and a muffin. If you plan to follow the links in the post, bring a thermos of cocoa and four muffins.

 

To read the post tootle over to Internet Archive

To read Panzer's previous post tootle over to IA stonewalling 

Yes, there could be a book shortage this holiday season. But it is not as bad as you think - USA Today

Today Panzer made a stop at the USA Today site. There our traveling kitty pilot found a post about the Christmas book shortage of 2021. Panzer has been telling you about the supply chain problems businesses have been experiencing.

Maybe it won't be that bad.

According to the post by Mary Cadden, bookstore owners/CEOs and booksellers aren't worried about paper or labor shortages causing a book shortage this holiday season. Since publishers plan and publish their holiday books months in advance, bookstores only expect minimal inconvenience for their book buyers. A video about supply chain problems is included at the beginning of the post. Also included are several links to other posts and information about publishers and supply chain problems in general.

Panzer says, "This post has a different slant on the holiday book buying season."

Note: This is a long post. Bring a big cup of tea and a big muffin for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow the links, bring extra tea and muffins.

To read the post tootle over to book shortage?

To read Panzer's previous post about the supply chain problems tootle over to supply chain problems