The adult coloring book trend persists, showing much more longevity than many observers had predicted.
Barnes & Noble, which has been adult coloring central for the last couple of years, continues to give the category a lot of space and prominent placement. One large store currently features a large wall display and three tables right at the door, as well as two tables in the center aisle, including one devoted to bestselling author/illustrator Johanna Basford. It also integrates adult coloring books into the assortment on merchandise tables devoted to TV shows and films throughout the store; examples with front-of-floor locations include Suicide Squad and Harry Potter.
Aside from bookstores, other retailers with a natural affinity for adult coloring still feature healthy displays, including mass merchants (e.g., Target), craft stores (Michael’s), toy stores (Creative Kidstuff), and stationery/gift shops (Typo, Paper Source). Hallmark has an endcap full of titles featuring artwork created by its in-house staff and by artists long associated with the company, such as comic creator John Wagner (Maxine) and watercolorist Marjolein Bastin.
Perhaps the strongest indicator of the enduring interest in the category is that adult coloring books remain on display in stores that normally would not be considered a close fit, such as the regional home furnishings chain Cut Above Home; the indie toy chain Air Traffic, which specializes in playthings that fly; the high-end department store Nordstrom; and the charitable retail outlet Greater Goods, which is featuring a Little Prince coloring book among other book-based licensed merchandise, with all sales benefiting literacy.
Basford’s The Secret Garden, the title that is widely credited with launching the coloring craze, was published in spring 2013. The trend really took off in the U.S. market in 2015—following its earlier incarnation in the U.K. (where Basford is based)—with unit sales hitting 12 million that year, up from just 1 million in 2014, according to Nielsen Bookscan. Licensed titles started to appear in significant numbers in fall of 2015 in the U.S., with the peak of new introductions occurring in spring 2016.
Although an eventual decline is virtually inevitable, and signs of a leveling-off have been reported by some publishers, research to date points to strong sales overall for the category for the remainder of this year.
For the first six months, Nielsen Bookscan reports that adult nonfiction books overall experienced increases in unit sales of 12% in the U.S. compared to the first half of 2015. The top category within that segment, showing growth of 133% in the first half of 2016 compared to the same period last year, was crafts, hobbies, antiques, and games, powered by adult coloring books including Scholastic’s Harry Potter and Marvel’s Deadpool titles. Art, architecture, design, and photography ranked as the second fastest-growing adult nonfiction category in the period, up 51%, with coloring books also a key part of that mix.
Meanwhile, licensed titles continue to debut, albeit not in the same numbers as last spring. New examples this fall range from Star Trek and Buffy the Vampire Slayer from Dark Horse Books to Trolls, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and The Splat from Random House.
Our next edition of RaugustReports will be on Thursday, September 8; we will take Monday off to mark the U.S. Labor Day holiday.
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