Book Sales Are Down, Despite Push

After strong starts and huge marketing campaigns, some of the biggest books of the fall season — on which the struggling bookselling industry has pinned much of its hopes — are losing a little steam. “A lot of people buy books because they don’t know Uncle Harry’s shirt size, so at the last minute it’s either books or candy,” he said. “There’s no question that the business is in a lull right now, but I do think it’s a little early because the real Christmas business is still a month, maybe six weeks away.”