Sales of religious books decreased 7.1% in April continuing a yearlong trend, as overall book sales increased by 3.3% to $494.9 million, according to The Association of American Publishers.

The month's sales for religious books were $38.7 million, and the category's sales were down by 9.1% for the year. Sales of religious books previously decreased 11.4%, 19% and 9% in March, February and January, respectively.

The Adult Hardcover category was down by 11% in April with sales of $95.7 million, and year-to-date sales were down by 16.2%. Adult Paperback sales decreased 0.8% for the month--posting $114.8 million in sales--and the category was down 25.7% for the year.

The Children's/Young Adult Hardcover category saw an increase of 13.6% for the month-with sales of $44.6 million--and year-to-date sales were up by 35.9%. The Paperback category for the same age was also up by 0.9% with sales totaling $39.9 million, and sales rose by 2% for the year.

Audiobook sales decreased 32.9% in April-with sales totaling $9.5 million--and year-to-date sales were down by 43.6%. However, E-book sales continued to rise in April, seeing a 228.3% increase for the month to $12.1 million--reflecting an increase of 154.8% for the year.

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