Middle-grade sales fall 5% in US

In the US, a new report from Circana BookScan shows print sales of middle-grade books fell 5% in the first half of 2024 from the comparable period in 2023, with 1.8 million fewer copies sold, reports Publishers Weekly.

The ongoing decline follows a peak in sales to that age group in 2021. ‘The report notes that while some of the steady decline can be attributed to post-pandemic behaviour adjustments, there are other factors in play,’ said PW, quoting Circana book industry analyst Brenna Connor, who suggested that reading for pleasure is losing out to other activities for 9- to 12-year-olds. ‘Screen time is a factor, and consumer research shows a negative correlation between increased screen time and reading for fun,’ said Connor. ‘The more time children spend watching a screen, the less time they have to read.’

The report did highlight ‘some pockets of growth’, said PW, reporting that ‘in the middle-grade book market, subjects that have had sales gains include robots and dragons, as well as adventure and wilderness stories’, while sales of graphic novels have also been ‘a bright spot’, as well as titles with ‘themes tied to escapism’.

Excluding middle-grade books, children’s book sales were down 2% in the first six months of the year.

Category: International news