Publishers report drop in book sales

Americans bought $24.2 billion worth of books in 2006, slightly less than the previous year, an industry group said Tuesday, reporting sharp falls in religious and audio-book sales but an increase in e-books.

The Assn. of American Publishers said total sales by U.S. publishers last year were estimated at $24.197 billion, down from $24.263 billion in 2005.

Religious book sales fell 10.2% to $745 million while audio-books dropped 11.7% to $182 million. Spurred by progress in digital technology, sales of e-books jumped 24.1% to $54 million.