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Book News: Young Adult And Kids' Lit Boost E-Book Revenue

It's partly because of bookshelves like these — and their digital equivalents — that publishers have had a positive open to 2014.
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It's partly because of bookshelves like these — and their digital equivalents — that publishers have had a positive open to 2014.

The daily lowdown on books, publishing, and the occasional author behaving badly.

E-book sales are standing on the shoulders not of giants, but of a much smaller set. According to new statistics released by the Association of American Publishers, the first seven months of 2014 showed marked growth in e-book revenue — largely thanks to young adult and children's literature.

The numbers, reported in The Bookseller, show that from January to July, e-book revenue grew 7.5 percent compared with the same period last year. It's a bump fueled mostly by a startling rise in revenue for YA and children's e-books — 59.5 percent growth — and a bit less so by e-books on religion, which also jumped 25.7 percent.

With print books included, the trade publishing industry saw modest growth — no thanks to adult and nonfiction books, which actually dropped 2.2 percent instead.

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Colin Dwyer covers breaking news for NPR. He reports on a wide array of subjects — from politics in Latin America and the Middle East, to the latest developments in sports and scientific research.