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The UK children’s publishing market is up by 10% this year, making it the fastest-growing book sector ahead of what is expected to be a sell-out Bookseller Children’s Conference (25th September).
Nielsen BookScan data shows that consumers spent £187.9m on children’s books in the first eight months of 2014 (1st January–31st August 2014), up 10% on the same period in 2013. If the market stays more than 10% ahead of last year’s figures, it is projected to be worth £337m in 2014—the best year the children’s sector will have had since BookScan records began in 1998. Most kids’ categories are showing growth. Sales of children’s fiction, YA titles and picture books are all up, with only a slight dip (-2%) in sales of pre-school books.
The Bookseller is looking to reflect the strength of the market at this year’s Children’s Conference, with sessions on data and trends, including exclusive insights from The Bookseller’s charts and data editor John Lewis and youth insights consultancy Voxburner’s Luke Mitchell.
Ann-Janine Murtagh, executive publisher at HarperCollins Children’s Books, will deliver a keynote speech looking at what is working in the children’s space. Michael Acton Smith, founder and creative director of entertainment company Mind Candy, is the second keynote (on “Moshi Monsters and the Mind Candy Story”); the third is Nickelodeon’s director of research Alison York.
Reviewer Nicolette Jones, librarian Sean Edwards, author Jeff Norton and bookshop owner Jo de Guia will talk about their perspectives on the market. Nosy Crow’s Tom Bonnick will provide a digital update, while a panel of authors and industry experts will discuss how the publishing world uses social media.
For more information, visit childrensconference2014.com