Children’s nonfiction sales boom in UK

In the UK, Nielsen data shows sales of children’s books have boomed during 2020 due to nonfiction sales, reports the Bookseller.

According to Nielsen media manager Philip Stone, children’s nonfiction sales should surpass the record £51 million (A$92.2m) set last year, with Q3 sales totalling £12.2 million (A$22.1m)—up 25% on 2019. ‘What we saw immediately before lockdown and immediately after lockdown eased was a significant uplift in sales year-on-year in children’s nonfiction books in the UK,’ said Stone, adding that the uplift ‘outpaced the growth enjoyed by the general nonfiction market due to the closure of schools causing an essential need for home learning texts.’

Among the year’s bestselling children’s nonfiction titles are Matthew Syed’s Awesome Guide to Getting Good at Stuff and You Are Awesome (both Wren & Rook), and Telling the Time (Collins).

From January to May 2020, total children’s book sales increased by around 6% from the same period in 2019, with volume up 2% to 39 million units.

Category: International news