Children’s reading shows simultaneous rise and decline. How can that add up?

The number of youngsters reading for pleasure has declined sharply, but this sector of publishing is booming – which results in some very strange mathsAre children reading less – or more? I’m confused. If less, then what happened to the 854,262 copies of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars that were snapped up last year in the UK, according to Nielsen BookScan, or the 481,662 copies of David Walliams’s Awful Auntie? If more, then what’s with all the doom-mongering?A mischievous friend of mine once hatched a theory about Jeffrey Archer’s sales figures which could only be proved by the discovery in years to come of millions of copies of Cain and Abel mouldering away in remote warehouses. Clearly, for Messrs Green and Walliams, one would have to come up with a different scenario – cobwebbed towers of virgin ‘Aunties glaring balefully from the back of toy cupboards across the land, perhaps? Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2015-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #awful auntie #jeffrey archer #sales figures

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Children’s reading shows simultaneous rise and decline. How can that add up?'


Academic sales decline in first six months

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Thu, 07/07/2011 - 14:31 Sales of print books in the academic, specialist and higher education publishing market have slumped in the first half of the year, with one publisher seeing a decline of 22% in print sales. But academic publishers pointed to... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #print sales #print books #growth areas


Google Analytics Adds Social Engagement Tracking

On the heels of Google's two social media announcements—its +1 buttons and more recent Google+—the company has just announced the ability to track social engagement and activity in its Analytics package. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Flipboard Adds Industry News Feeds From LinkedIn

Flipboard, the social magazine iPad app, has incorporated content from another social network, LinkedIn -- adding the professional network's industry news to previous integrations with Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Flickr. A new version of Flipboard to be released this morning also includes... Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Tony Blair picks Trotsky biography among his Desert Island Reads

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Fri, 24/06/2011 - 11:46 Former Prime Minister Tony Blair has demonstrated an affinity with political outsiders, fantasy worlds and religious prophets as he revealed his choice of favourite books for a new magazine. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fantasy worlds #favourite books


Women dominate first Rising Stars list

Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Fri, 17/06/2011 - 14:12 Women dominate the first-ever The Bookseller Rising Stars, an annual listing which highlights the people who will shape the British book trade. Two-thirds—26 of 39 entries—of Rising Stars 2011 are women. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #women dominate


Andre launches new children's literacy scheme

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Tue, 14/06/2011 - 08:27 Pop singer turned TV star Peter Andre is joining the ranks of the champions of children's literacy by fronting the launch of a new London scheme. Andre joins London's mayor Boris Johnson at the Botwell Green library and... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Kindle-only children's series launched

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Tue, 14/06/2011 - 09:00 Intellectual property agency 1454 has developed a new interactive children's adventure series that will be published exclusively on the Kindle worldwide. It is thought to be the first time a children's series has been produced... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #interactive children #series launched #adventure series #published exclusively #kindle worldwide #produced solely #digital release


New children's series launched just for Kindle

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Tue, 14/06/2011 - 08:50 Intellectual property agency 1454 has developed a new interactive children's adventure series that will be published exclusively on the Kindle worldwide. It is thought to be the first time a children's series has been produced... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #interactive children #kindle worldwide #series launched #adventure series #published exclusively #produced solely #digital release


Children's illustrators concerned over UK market

Written By: Caroline Horn Publication Date: Fri, 10/06/2011 - 08:14 An up-and-coming children's illustrator has warned that new British talent is being forced to go abroad in search of work as the UK picture book market becomes increasingly conservative. Frann Preston-Gannon, who was recently... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #uk market #british talent #recently awarded #fairy tales


Grisham top as children's book sales soar

Written By: Philip Stone Publication Date: Tue, 07/06/2011 - 15:44 Thanks in part to a "better than half price" deal at Waterstone's, John Grisham tops the Official UK Top 50 for the first time in five and a half years. The Confession (Arrow), the Arkansas-born legal thriller writer's 23rd... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #grisham top #half price #half years #confession arrow #full week #uk booksellers #mass-market edition


Donaldson new children's laureate

Publication Date: Tue, 07/06/2011 - 11:52 Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson has been named as the new Waterstone's children's laureate. The announcement was made at a ceremony today (7th June) at King's Place in central London. Donaldson was presented with the children’s laureate medal and a... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #central london #floella benjamin #selection committee #anthony browne


Children's publishers welcome Waterstone's sale

Written By: Caroline Horn Publication Date: Fri, 27/05/2011 - 12:26 Children's publishers have welcomed the acquisition of Waterstone's by Russian businessman Alexander Mamut. Francesca Dow, m.d. of Penguin Children's Books, said: "The Waterstone's takeover is good news for children's... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #penguin children #francesca dow


Newsnight to tackle Kensal Rise campaign

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Tue, 24/05/2011 - 15:30 Tonight's edition of the BBC2 current affairs programme Newsnight will feature the "ongoing fight by local communities to save their libraries", focusing on the campaign for London's Kensal Green library. The piece will... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #local communities #library closures #st martin #sign books


Sebastian Faulks and Peep Show at Queen's Park festival

Written By: Katie Allen Publication Date: Thu, 19/05/2011 - 09:11 Novelist Sebastian Faulks, the team behind “Peep Show” and musician Edwyn Collins are to take part in the first-ever book festival at Queen’s Park in north-west London. The Queen’s Park Book Festival will take place on 11th... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book festival #include events #philip hensher #tim lott


"The One Show" to question ghostwriting

Written By: Caroline Horn Publication Date: Mon, 16/05/2011 - 15:15 BBC1’s "The One Show" will question publishers’ policy towards ghostwriting tonight (16th May). The show will focus on ghostwritten celebrity books and children’s branded books that claim to be written by a famous author when... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Children indies' concern over cover prices

Written By: Caroline Horn Publication Date: Fri, 13/05/2011 - 15:40 Publishers are remaining tight-lipped about recent price increases in books for children and teenagers. Price increases have seen some young adult titles being priced at £18, with some paperback fiction given an £8.99 price... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #cover prices #remaining tight-lipped #paperback fiction #raised concerns #price rises #high street


Hachette Children's links with Tesco

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Thu, 12/05/2011 - 09:40 Hachette Children’s Books has teamed up with Tesco to give away book packs to school pupils. Children’s author Giles Andreae is ambassador for the scheme, which will see a variety of books ranging from £10-£200 available from... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #hachette children #school pupils


Book sales "well down" as general retail rises

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Tue, 10/05/2011 - 08:59 Book sales for April were "well down" in a month where general UK retail sales rose by 5.2% on last year. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) today (10th May) reported like-for-like sales were up 5.2% in value from April... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book sales #modest boost


Time Warner Inc. Sees Overall Revenues Rise Six Percent from Q1 2010 to Q1 2011

Time Warner Inc. has released their 2011 first quarter results, with the period ending on March 31, 2011. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #time warner #quarter results


You're Next voted best R&J Spring Read

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Wed, 04/05/2011 - 15:53 WH Smith customers have voted You’re Next by Gregg Hurwitz as the best read from Richard and Judy’s Spring Book Club titles. The thriller, published by Sphere, came top of an online poll asking readers to judge which of the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #gregg hurwitz #online poll #chain retailers