Books published by religious presses fared well in April (+10.7%), but dropped considerably (-13.1%) in May, according to the most recent report from the Association of American Publishers (AAP). Religious publishers saw a 0.1% decline year-to-date compared to last year’s figure for the January-May period.

Hardcover sales took the biggest hit, dropping 26.5% in May. Paperback sales dropped 2.3% for the month. Significantly, e-book sales rose 52.5% in May and were up 28.2% for the year to date.

Overall, trade publishing showed growth with a 3.9% increase for the first five months of the year. The top segment was children’s/young adult books with a 30.5% boost for the year to date next to 2013’s comparable period.

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