Posted Sunday, August 26, 2012
Children's Literature Is a Fast-Growing Genre Thanks to 'Potter' & Co.
For years, the book industry has been mired in debates about the plight of independent booksellers, the rise of Amazon and the fate of print as it struggles with the relentless march of technology. But doom-and-gloomers forecasting "the end of books" probably haven't strolled through the children's section lately or considered what's coming this season, from picture books through titles for teens.
This fall's offerings span a wide variety of topics and suggest why children's books have turned into the fastest-growing segment of the publishing industry.
The magical spell J.K. Rowling cast over kid lit with "Harry Potter" found new blood with Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" saga and most recently, Suzanne Collins' fight-to-the-death "The Hunger Games," creating a halo effect for the entire genre that doesn't show any signs of slowing. Last year, overall publisher revenues for children's books were up 12%, to $2.78 billion, and e-books made astounding gains, according to BookStats, a collaboration of the Assn. of American Publishers and the Book Industry Study Group.
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This fall's offerings span a wide variety of topics and suggest why children's books have turned into the fastest-growing segment of the publishing industry.
The magical spell J.K. Rowling cast over kid lit with "Harry Potter" found new blood with Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" saga and most recently, Suzanne Collins' fight-to-the-death "The Hunger Games," creating a halo effect for the entire genre that doesn't show any signs of slowing. Last year, overall publisher revenues for children's books were up 12%, to $2.78 billion, and e-books made astounding gains, according to BookStats, a collaboration of the Assn. of American Publishers and the Book Industry Study Group.
View Full Article