Children’s hardback fiction titles are selling well this Christmas, although higher-priced gift items are also coming back, according to Waterstone’s and independents.
Sales of paranormal romance titles may be declining but Clarke said: “Stand-alone releases are still selling and titles from established series like Becca Fitzpatrick’s Crescendo (S&S) are also doing really well.”
Despite the economic difficulties, consumers are buying higher-priced gift items such as Templar’s Peter Pan Sound Book pop-up (r.r.p. £14.99) through the chains and the independents. At Forum Books in Corbridge, Northumbria, manager David Thompson said it was a popular Christmas purchase both last year and this, but added the weather had had a “real impact” on sales: “We are seriously down on our overall sales this year because people aren’t travelling and we have had difficulties getting stock delivered.”
Independent Book Nook in Brighton has overcome the adverse weather with weekend events targeting local families, said joint founder Vanessa Lewis. As well as frontlist fiction including Wimpy Kid and Mr Gum titles, non-fiction has done well for the indie, including DK’s A Street Through Time and Walker’s The Story of Britain. Lewis said: “We had a real surge after the snow finished. It feels like people are Christmas shopping in earnest now.”
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