The total US book market sagged 2.5 percent last year, according to a new BookStats report from the Association of American Publishers. However, eBooks and the Children’s/Young Adult category saw massive increases in sales.  Here’s more from the report:

The overall total US book market (representing all commercial, entertainment, educational, professional and scholarly sectors) declined just 2.5%, from $27.9 billion in 2010 to $27.2 billion in 2011.  While overall net revenue was down, overall units were up 3.4%, from 2.68 billion in 2010 to 2.77 billion in 2011 … The Children’s/Young Adult category saw the highest year-over-year, increasing 12% from $2.48 billion to $2.78 billion.  One factor was the enormous popularity of several blockbuster releases from publishers, particularly in YA Fiction.  Religious books rebounded in 2011 after a decline in 2009 with its growth reflecting the category’s digital transition as well as success of several major titles.

GalleyCat has more eBook fiction figures, charting the massive digital increases seen across the publishing industry last year. Follow this link to see the statistics. The data was collected from 1,977 publishers, ranging from major publishers to smaller companies.