May was not the most hopeful month for religious presses with book sales dropped more than 13 percent, according the Association of American Publishers (AAP). For the year to date, religious publishers suffered a 10.3 percent decline in all formats with sales of $204.9 million compared to $228.5 million in January-May 2014.

Religious e-book sales dropped like a rock in May. Compared to last May, sales were down 55.3 percent. For the year to date, they were down 4.2 percent compared to the same five-month period last year.

Hardcover editions from religious presses dropped significantly—more than 19 percent—while paperbacks increased nearly 20 percent, growing at about the same rate that hardcovers dropped.

Book sales from all publishers reporting were down 5.8 percent year to date at $4 billion compared to $4.3 billion for the same five months last year. Trade Books declined 3.4 percent, falling to 2.56 billion from 2.65 billion compared to January–May 2014. Adult and Children/Young Adult were down in May compared to May 2014. Despite Adult titles’ weak sales in May, the category was up 1.5 percent year to date.

Downloaded audio remained the fastest-growing format, with 38 percent growth through May compared to the same time last year. This trend was especially apparent in titles for adults, where downloaded audio posted a hefty 62.4 percent gain in May compared to May 2014.

Paperbacks also continued their good performance this year with 8.4 percent growth, compared to the same five-month period last year. Hardbacks and e-books were down year to date at 11.6 percent and 10.2 percent, respectively; both categories were also down for the month.

More than 1,200 publishers reported to the AAP.

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