Future bright for childrens books as industry names plot next chapter

A mood of optimism marked the Bookseller Childrens Conference, with sales up 10% and editors pronouncing themselves keen to experiment and push the digital envelope

The Purcell Room on Londons South Bank was awash with positivity on Thursday, as the Bookseller Childrens Conference celebrated a section of the books industry where everything is rosy. If current trends continue, said the magazines charts and data analyst, John Lewis, this year is set to become the best year for childrens books since records began. Sales in childrens and YA publishing are up 10% in 2014 an extraordinary performance against the backdrop of a market that is down 2% overall. And its not just about new titles. The backlist is making a particularly strong showing in both picture books and childrens fiction, with five of the current top 10 bestselling picture books dating from pre-2011 including Judith Kerrs 46-year-old classic The Tiger Who Came to Tea.

Adding to the sense of celebration, Bookseller childrens editor Charlotte Eyre and publisher Nigel Roby also announced the launch of the Bookseller YA book prize, for which any young adult titles by authors living in the UK or Ireland and published in 2014 will be eligible. (Full disclosure: Ive been asked to be one of the judges, and have been emitting a thin, gleeful squeal ever since.)

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