Children’s printed book sales are soaring as youngsters turn their backs on online reading due to ‘screen fatigue’.
Sales of children’s titles rose by 16 per cent last year with sales totalling £365million, as popular authors like David Walliams inspire young readers to pick up a book.
But while printed sales increase, e-books are on the wane with a 3 per cent fall in sales.
Children’s printed book sales are soaring as youngsters turn their backs on online reading due to ‘screen fatigue’ (file photo)
Figures show that almost £1 in every £4 spent on printed books is from a children’s title, reports the Observer.
Children’s authors are proving to be a key genre in the publishing industry, often outselling others.
But while parents have often worried about youngsters spending too much time on their computer or games console, experts believe that there is a real hunger for the written word among children.
According to industry magazine, The Bookseller: ‘Children are now reading more and want to read print.’
The recent children’s reading boom has had a knock-on effect on the industry, with adult shops forced to sit up and take notice.
James Daunt, chief executive of Waterstones, told the Observer: ‘We have been seriously increasing the amount of space we give to children’s titles.’
Britain’s youthful reading renaissance has also seen a magazine provide an exciting new platform for children.
Scoop, a monthly publication for children eight years old and over, was created to ‘inspire and nurture a love of reading and stories.’
David Walliams is one of the popular children’s authors inspiring youngsters to read, with some comparing him to Roald Dahl
On its website, it says: ‘Every month we bring together a host of incredible writers and illustrators who create original fiction and non fiction, we promise never to talk down to our readers.’
Among the writers to feature in the magazine are playwright Tom Stoppard and children’s writer Raymond Brigg.
A year after it launched, Scoop is still going strong with a sale increase of around 150 per cent, per issue.
Publisher Clementine Macmillan-Scott said: ‘If you look at our figures you’ll find that children do read and that Scoop is part of a craze for reading hardback books.
‘Kids love paper and print. They might play games on a digital device, but they prefer not to read on a Kindle.’