Hello again ayar-ga,
I?m impressed with your books and your website (http://www.pers.com/)
and the associated product tie-ins. You have a very attractive product
that should appeal to a wide market. Instead of just ssearching for
information about what would be an average first-print run for a
children?s book, I?ve also collected a variety of resources that
discuss the children?s book market and industry and current trends.
To answer your original question, the consensus seems to be that a
first-print run of 7,500 ? 15,000 would be average for an average
book. However, there are so many variables in picture book publishing
that it?s essential that you explore the industry further. The books
you?re benchmarking against (Stellaluna, Miss Spider, Olivia) are
exceptional best sellers. They have developed a loyal following and
associated product tie-ins.
Your books seem to be well-received and you?ve been able to generate
lots of coverage for your downloadable games. It?s clear that you have
an educational component that gives your works a special appeal that
may make them appropriate for schools as well. I suggest that you
study the current trends in the market to be able to better estimate
the potential target audience. It?s important to note the two major
segments in children?s book publishing ? trade and mass market. I
believe your books and products would be very suitable for the mass
market. One of the resources I found suggests that the ?mass market
edition of a popular children?s book might be 75,000 to 100,000 copies
compared to 7,500 to 15,000 for a traditional title.?
I enjoyed this research so much that I collected much more information
than your original question was looking for. I hope you will find it
useful for developing your marketing strategy. Your books are very
attractive and I believe you will be very successful.
Best wishes for your career.
~ czh ~
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CHILDREN?S PICTURE BOOKS -- STATISTICS
======================================
http://www.robinfriedman.com/donna_bray.html
Robin Freedman Interviews Donna Bray, Executive Editor, Hyperion Books
for Children
What is the approximate print run of a picture book these days? A novel?
First print runs vary dramatically, but let's say 10,000-15,000 for
your average picture book, and 5,000-7,500 for your average novel.
We'd rather reprint quickly than wind up with a lot of inventory, so
we manage our printings very carefully.
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http://www.robinfriedman.com/dlouhy.html
Robin Freedman Interviews Caitlyn Dlouhy, Executive Editor, Atheneum
Books for Young Readers, Simon & Schuster Children?s Publishing
Division
What is the approximate print run of a picture book these days? A novel?
This is impossible to approximate, because there are so many factors
to take into consideration, including the author's previous track
record, in-house enthusiasm for the book, subject matter, etc.
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http://www.januarymagazine.com/profiles/primages/numeroff.html
January Interview: Laura Numeroff
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and other books.
So it took a while for it to develop an audience but then it did. A
normal first run for a children's book is 10,000. By the time I wrote
If You Give A Moose A Muffin, not only was I following a formula, but
the first printing was 238,000.
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http://www.awn.com/mag/issue4.09/4.09pages/4.09internet.php3
Miss Spider's Tea Party.
David Kirk's popular Miss Spider tales have sold more than three
million copies worldwide. When Miss Spider's Tea Party debuted in
Fall, 1994 it was selected by Parents magazine as one of "1994's Top
Ten Picture Books" and cited by the School Library Journal as
"extraordinary."
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http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2004/01/22/mordicai_gersteins_tightrope_act?mode=PF
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers
1/22/2004 -- Mordicai Gerstein's tightrope act
Illustrator's retelling of the story of a daring feat offers kids a
different view of the twin towers
WILLIAMSBURG -- A tightrope walk is a delicate balance, a fancy flight
and a flight of fancy. So is a children's picture book such as "The
Man Who Walked Between the Towers," by Mordicai Gerstein. Even before
it won the coveted Randolph Caldecott Medal for outstanding children's
book illustration last week, "The Man Who Walked Between the Towers"
was itself a daredevil act: a story of New York's World Trade Center
filled with wit and laughter, without smoke, flame, or horror.
The book appeared last September and got rave reviews. The 15,000-copy
first printing sold out in three months. Since the Caldecott was
announced, Roaring Brook has gone back to press for another 100,000
copies.
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http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m1589/2003_Oct_14/110809188/p1/article.jhtml
He's a pig success: Illustrator Ian Falconer dazzles children with his
best-selling books starring Olivia the pig ? books
A star himself among illustrators, Falconer published Olivia in 2000
and shot fight by the dreaded sophomore slump with 2001's hit Olivia
Saves the Circus. "This one was more scary," though, admits the
43-year-old artist. After all, Falconer has seen Olivia blossom from a
gift for a relative into a publishing phenomenon with 2 million copies
in print, not to mention related toys like Olivia dolls and paint
sets.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2003-10-06-olivia_x.htm
Oink if you love 'Olivia'
Olivia was published in 2000 to rave reviews. A year later came Olivia
Saves the Circus. Together they've sold 1.6 million copies in the USA,
his publisher reports, with 23 foreign editions; 400,00 copies of
Missing Toy are in print.
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.bloomington.in.us/~mybonnie/books.html
UNCLE ELI'S (Special-For-Kids, Most Fun Ever, Under-The-Table) PASSOVER HAGGADAH
Published 1999, No Starch Press, San Francisco, CA (64 pages,
hardcover & paperback) Matzo with personality, a wicked, rotten
Pharaoh, the Ten Plagues (not one was left out), four (modern)
children: Smarty, Nasty, Simple, & Sam. This book is on amazon.com's
bestseller list! The first printing (12,000 copies) sold out in four
months! So, after the Four Questions we ask, "Who would have guessed?"
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.write4kids.com/answer10.html
ANSWERS FROM LAST MONTH'S "ASK THE AUTHOR"
BRUCE BALAN
A typical print run for a first time picture book is 7,500 - 12,000.
You can do the math. At $15.00 retail you?ll get $7,500 if the first
run sells out (which does not always happen). So unless you have a lot
of books published, or have a hit, it is difficult to make a living.
I?ve heard various authors or agents say that you really can?t make a
good living on royalties until you have 30 books in print. But of
course that depends on how well your books sell.
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2004/2/prweb102825.htm
Children's Books Are Hot, and They Just Got Hotter!!
Houston, TX (PRWEB) February 6, 2004-?Only three out of 15,000
children's picture books submitted to mainstream publishers are
actually printed each year.
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http://www.raabassociates.com/tomarket/topic4.htm
"To Market" -- Sales
In terms of profitability, children's books benefit from being sold
effectively through multiple sales channels. Sales to schools,
libraries, and via retailers, the Internet and special sales channels
all contribute to the success of a book. The Internet is a particular
help to new and smaller publishers who are likely to have difficulty
getting their books placed with national wholesalers and distributors.
1-2:02
***** This article has lots of marketing ideas and associated
statistics. See additional columns as well.
http://www.raabassociates.com/tomarket/tomarket.htm
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http://www.cbcbooks.org/pdfs/IndustrySalesSurveypacket.pdf
2002 Industry Sales Survey
The Children?s Book Council
***** This is a 7-page report on the results of the survey for the
years 1999-2001. It will give you some starting figures for
considering how the market is segmented and what is happening in
various distribution channels.
http://www.cbcbooks.org/html/pubs.html
The Children's Book Council produces many publications and
bibliographies of interest to teachers, librarians, parents,
booksellers, writers, and illustrators. Many are available online;
some may be ordered from CBC. Ordering information is available from
the links below.
======================================
CHILDREN?S PICTURE BOOKS -- THE MARKET
======================================
http://web.utk.edu/~wrobinso/561.html
Contemporary Book Publishing in the U.S.
***** This site offers a large collection of exceptionally
comprehensive lecture notes. See especially the one on Children?s Book
Publishing and Selling Books notes.
http://web.utk.edu/~wrobinso/561_lec_child.html
Children's Book Publishing
***** This is an excellent long article covering all aspects of the
children?s book publishing industry. Here are a few excerpts but the
whole article is worth reading.
Where Are Books Sold?
It is important to note that increasingly both trade and mass market
children's books are sold in a wide variety of outlets. Here is a
ranked list that reflects the past few years:
Discount stores = 29% (Target, Walmart, KMart)
Book clubs = 18%
Large chain bookstores = 10%
Food and drug stores = 7%
Mail order = 6%
Independent/small chain bookstores 5%
Toy stores = 5%
Variety stores = 3%
Warehouse/price clubs 2%
All others = 15%
Children's book publishing is divided into two segments: the trade
segment where books are distributed via retail book stores, and the
mass market segment where books are distributed via a variety of mass
market outlets. As indicated above, the mass market sales are notably
large. This has changed somewhat in the last few years as more of the
national bookstore chains open super stores in more communities.
Expanding the Market
For many years, publishers have been frustrated by their inability to
grow the market beyond the book stores, especially in earlier decades
when many communities lacked a book store. Mass market distribution
has created many retail opportunities, especially for publishers with
popular, inexpensive titles. Note that a mass market edition of a
popular children's book might be 75,000 to 100,000 copies compared to
7,500 to 15,000 for a traditional title.
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.underdown.org/articles.htm
The Business of Children's Books:
http://www.underdown.org/trends.htm
Trends in Children's Books: The Business Side
http://www.underdown.org/oldtrend.htm
Trends in Children's Books: The Business Side (Archived Version)
It can be difficult to keep up with what is going on in the business
side of children's books. Once a genteel industry dedicated to
providing good books for libraries, children's books are now big
business, expected to contribute significantly to the bottom line of
media conglomerates. Here I comment on the business, and include
gleanings from news in Publishers Weekly and my contacts, along with a
list of relevant issues of PW to request at your local library. Read
The Horn Book, and Booklist, and all the other good review sources,
but for industry news, look to PW.
***** This is a somewhat dated article but the sections on Brand Names
and Bookstores have some ideas that are still relevant and helpful.
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.bic.org.uk/Cbmcuse1.doc
BIC Children's Book Marketing Categories
User Notes for Allocation of Categories
Version 1: First Definitive Release (March 2000)
The five sections (shown in full on page 2) are:
INTEREST LEVEL ? indicating the age range for which the book is intended.
BROAD SUBJECT ? indicating the broad subject area of the book.
TYPE / FORMAT ? indicating the physical format or special features of the book.
CHARACTER ? indicating whether the book features an established
children?s character.
TIE-IN ? indicating whether the book is a film or TV tie-in edition.
Book Industry Communication -- BIC, set up and sponsored by The
Publishers Association, The Booksellers Association, The Library
Association and The British Library, develops and promotes standards
for electronic commerce and communication in the book and serials
industry.
***** The guidelines on Children?s Book Marketing Categories are
helpful in developing your positioning for your books.
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.pazsaz.com/topbook9.html
http://www.buy.com/retail/list3.asp?loc=15593
The New York Times® listing--week of April 4, 2004
Children's Picture Books
***** See current list.
-------------------------------------------------
http://home.comcast.net/~antaylor1/top50child.html
http://www.bestwebbuys.com/books/greatest/children
Bestselling Children's Books of All Time
(As of: 17-Dec-2001)
Hardcover children's books that have sold at least 750,000 copies, as
compiled by Publisher's Weekly. Books are ranked in order by number of
books sold from date of publication through the year 2000.
-------------------------------------------------
http://writingforkids.lifetips.com/Cat.asp__Q__id__E__55195
My Top Ten Tips and Advice: WritingForKids > Picture Books
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.hbook.com/index.shtml
The Horn Book, Inc.
Publications About Books for Children and Young Adults
***** This is an exceptional resource for anyone interested in the
children?s books market.
====================================
CHILDREN?S BOOKS ? GENERAL RESOURCES
====================================
http://www.underdown.org/index.html
Writing Children's Books, Illustrating Children's Books, and
Publishing Children's Books: The Purple Crayon
This is a personal site, created and maintained by Harold D. Underdown
the author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Children's
Books.
***** This site offers lots of articles and other resources. The
articles section is worth browsing for ideas on marketing.
-------------------------------------------------
http://picturingbooks.imaginarylands.org/
Picturing Books: A Web Site About Picture Books
http://childlitnavigator.imaginarylands.org/about.html
Children?s Literature Navigator
http://passport.imaginarylands.org/menu.html
Passport: International Children's Literature
***** Three amazing websites from Denise I. Matulka.
==================================
BOOK MARKETING ? GENERAL RESOURCES
==================================
http://www.parapublishing.com/getpage.cfm?file=statistics/index.html
Para Publishing
Here are some interesting facts and figures about the book industry.
Sources are noted when known. Many of the statistics reference web
sites or email addresses. These are the people and organizations that
originally published the information. The statistic is not necessarily
on the referenced site. Contact the person or organization through the
email address or web site for more information on the statistic.
***** This is an amazing collection of statistics about publishing and
the book industry. It?s a fun read that might yield some worthwhile
nuggets for your marketing efforts.
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http://www.parapublishing.com/getpage.cfm?file=resource/promote.html&userid=33E2B64E8D9A88078FC655D24D62FF06
Promoting and Marketing Your Book
***** Lots of ideas with corresponding links for every imaginable way
to promote your book.
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http://www.bookmarket.com/index.html
If you are into book marketing, book promotion, free publicity,
self-publishing, e-publishing, print-on-demand, or selling your books,
you've come to the right site. ? John Kremer, editor, Book Marketing
Update newsletter
***** Lots of links and resources.
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http://www.bookmarket.com/1001edit.html
Editorial: The First Step in Book Marketing
The first step in marketing any product is to produce something
worthwhile, something people want or need, something people will buy.
As products, books involve a combination of content, author, title,
design, packaging, and price. All these elements must work together to
create a bestselling book.
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SEARCH STRATEGY
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children's picture books
marketing children's picture books
trends publishing children's picture books |
