Reversing a downward pattern over several months, sales of religious books increased 3.5% in December, while all book categories rose 9.7% for the month, according to the Association of American Publishers.

The month's sales for religious books were $ 49.3 million, while the category's sales were down 7.6% for the year. Sales of religious books previously decreased 9%, 25.6%, 11.8% and 10.8% for the months of November, October, September and August, respectively.

The Adult Hardcover category was down by 10.3% in December with sales of $113.3 million, while year-to-date sales decreased by 13%. Adult Paperback sales increased 12.5% for the month, posting $132.8 million in sales, and sales rose by 3.6% for the year.

The Children's/Young Adult Hardcover category saw an increase of 124.6% for the month, with sales of $115.1 million, but its year-to-date sales dropped by 12.4%. The Paperback category for the same age was also up by 37% with sales totaling $54.4 million, and sales for the year increased by 6.4%.

Audiobook sales decreased 11.7% in December, with sales totaling $10.5 million; sales for the year were down by 21%. However, E-book sales continued to rise in December, seeing a 119.9% increase for the month to $6.5 million and posting an increase of 68.4% for the year.

For more information, visit www.publishers.org.

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