The Association of American Publishers (AAP) reported publishing sales showed small gains in January for most tracked categories, though religious book sales were down.

Overall sales were up by 2.2% over the same period in 2005, with Religious Books posting a decrease of 29.3% and sales of $18 million. The Adult Paperback category continued to grow with a 26.3% increase ($97 million), while Children's/Young Adult Hardcover sales took a dip of 23.7% for the month (sales of $52 million).

Sales for the Adult Hardcover category slid 23.7% in January with sales of $52 million. The Adult Mass-Market category saw a loss of 10.5% for January, with sales totaling $45.6 million.

In contrast with its hardcover counterpart, the Children's/Young Adult Paperback category saw publishing sales continue to rise with an increase of 31.7% and sales totaling $29.8 million.

The AAP is the national trade association of the U.S. book publishing industry and has more than 300 members, including major U.S. commercial book publishers, as well as smaller and nonprofit publishers, university presses and scholarly societies.