Children’s 2016 print book market up 11.7% to date and set to be biggest year for children’s books for the third year in a row

The children’s print book market is on course for an 11.7% increase to a full year value of £394m this year if sales continue at the same pace – making 2016 the biggest year for children’s books for the third year in a row.

The Bookseller’s charts editor Kiera O’Brien delivered the sales data derived from Nielsen BookScan today (27th September) at The Bookseller Children’s Conference in London, whilst also revealing that J K Rowling is on course to become the bestselling author of 2016.

Children’s print sales for 2016 are looking very positive so far, O’Brien said, totaling £209m for the 2016 year to date (34 weeks ending 27th August 2016), up £21.8m compared to the same period in 2015. According to O’Brien, this is 24% of the entire print market and is ahead of adult fiction by £3m. In volume terms, children’s publishing is 33% of the entire print market, meaning one in every three books sold so far this year has been a children’s book.

If sales continue at the same pace for the rest of 2016, the children’s print market will have risen 11.7% by the end of the year to £394m, marking the biggest year on year jump since 2007 (17%). The children’s yearly market value has increased by £120m over the last 10 years, a jump of 44%, O’Brien added.

via Children’s 2016 print book market up 11.7% to date | The Bookseller.