Children's publishing

"The school curriculum has become so packed and so prescriptive that it is very hard to make schools places where books can be enjoyed"

A new survey commissioned by the Publishers Association (PA) has shown that children's reading for pleasure remains a priority for adults across the country, despite a decline in reading.

After the largely successful London Book Fair in March, this past week's Bologna Children's Book Fair confirms that, at least for the books sector, such events are back in business. Bologna is usually both busy and buzzy-yes, the alliteration plays its part-but this year it was positive and energetic too, its new April date providing the longer run-up that London, for some, lacked.  Read more

Publishers and agents have reported "brisk" trading on the first day of a packed 61st Bologna Children's Book Fair (BCBF), with Young Adult and rom-coms the hot titles, graphic novels on the rise and picture books holding steady, though middle-grade has been called "a tougher sell".

In 2022, over 4 million books were released via traditional publishers and via self-publishing. According to author Sam Subity, less than .02% of those published were middle-grade books. Middle-grade book sales were down 16% in the same year. According to Publisher's Weekly, however, there was an overall increase in sales of Young Adult novels.