AAP Statistics Reports aggregate sales of U.S. publishers in U.S. Dollars. Monthly reports compare aggregated reported revenue and growth of the current calendar month and the current calendar year-to-date to revenue and growth for the same periods of the prior year. Annual reports compare aggregated reported revenue, units, and growth for the reported calendar year and up to four prior years.

Monthly reports include Format, Market, and Revenue categories. Annual reports include Channel, Format, Market, Revenue, and Unit categories.

Terms used in AAP statistics reports are defined below.

Channels

Formats

Markets

Revenue and Units

Channels

Direct: Sales to the final purchaser. Includes all direct-to-consumer sales, sales via publisher’s own website, special sales, corporate purchases. Also includes sales to school districts, colleges and other educational establishments.

Export: Sales to customers outside of the United States. Excludes the activities of foreign subsidiaries.

Intermediary: Sales to any third party between publisher and consumer, excluding retailers. Includes Jobbers, Wholesalers etc. Library sales would usually be reported here.

Online Retail: Sales to retailers who primarily sell through the internet.

Physical Retail: Sales to retailers who primarily sell through bricks-and-mortar stores.

Other: All Channels not included above, if reporting significant ‘Other’ sales please contact MPI for guidance. Publishers are asked to try to minimize use of ‘Other’ wherever it is reasonable.

Formats

Boxed Sets: Report boxed sets based on the format of majority of component parts.

Digital Audio: Audiobooks delivered electronically regardless of file type. Includes digital audio books provided by subscription services.

eBook: Book delivered electronically regardless of file type, includes enhanced audiobooks. Includes eBooks provided by subscription services.

Hardback: Printed books typically made with a stiff cardboard binding, often includes a dustcover.

Mass Market: Paperback books usually sized around 4½” by 7”, printed more economically than regular paperback, with smaller fonts and lower grade paper stock.

Instructional Materials: Textbooks, workbooks, review books, standardized tests, digital textbooks, course materials as well as online tools such as homework managers.

Paperback: Print books with flexible binding, usually larger and with higher production standards than ‘Mass Market’, include Flexi & Spiral Bindings as well as ‘Mini’ Editions

Physical Audio: All Audio sold in physical format. Includes CD, MP3 CD, preloaded single-use devices (i.e., Playaway), CD ROM and tape.

Special Bindings (Inc Boardbooks): In Children’s & YA Only, printed books, usually marketed to younger readers where special bindings are used. Special bindings include Boardbooks, Bath, Cloth/Rag Bindings. Note that when not marketed to Children / Young Adult these should be reported in ‘Other’.

Other: All books not categorized above.

Markets

Adult Fiction: Imaginative story telling marketed primarily for adult audiences.

Adult Non-Fiction: Titles based in fact marketed primarily for adult audiences.

Children’s & Young Adult (C&YA) Fiction: Imaginative story telling marketed primarily younger audiences.

Children’s & Young Adult (C&YA) Non-Fiction: Titles based in fact marketed primarily for younger audiences.

Higher Education: Titles marketed primarily for use in higher education setting.

PreK-12 Education: Titles marketed primarily for use in school classrooms. Exclude Advanced Placement textbooks, which should be reported in Higher Education.

Professional Books: Titles marketed primarily for the education and training of members of professions and trades.

Religious Presses: Those publishers whose output is primarily based on religious themes and messages, include all sales in this category even when individual title is not religious.

University Presses: Those publishers that are connected with universities, usually publishers of scholarly work. All output of such presses should be included here, even if individual title has commercial/trade aspect.

Other: All Market Categories not included above.

Revenue and Units

Dollar: Net billings to customers with all discounts deducted.

Gross Revenue: Actual billings to customers with all discounts deducted, and exclusive of transportation charges.

Net Revenue: Publishers’ actual billings to customers with all discounts, returns, and allowances deducted, and exclusive of transportation charges.

Returns: Credits against Gross Revenue for returned merchandise.

Sales: Report all revenue for the sale of a subscription in the year the subscription is sold, do not make revenue recognition adjustments.

Units: Unit Sales, exclusive of samples or free copies. Multiple items sold as bundle count as 1 (one) unit.

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