Thanksgiving Week GN Sales Dip 14.7%
The graphic novel field saw sales drop 14.7% compared with Thanksgiving week 2007 according to figures released by Nielsen’s BookScan. Total units sold, according to ICv2, were 244,000 compared with 286,000 a year previous. The drop is in contrast to the 6% increase in total book sales. The increase was a blip after many weeks of steady declines which has led to massive layoffs throughout the publishing field in just the last week.
ICv2’s analysis notes that, “First, pieces aren’t dollars. As the top of the graphic novel bestseller list has become more accommodating to non-manga titles recently, the mix has moved toward higher cover prices, which may mean an increase in the average cover price that could help offset some declines in piece sales. Second, there’s an increasing amount of graphic novel activity off the graphic novel charts, as publishers seek to group their kids or young adult titles in those departments, rather than in the graphic novel department. Third, the comic store market appears to be behaving differently from the bookstores. And last, one week does not a season make.”