Secret Garden colouring book sells 3m copies in China

Laurence King Publishing’s adult colouring book Secret Garden by Johanna Basford has sold 3 million copies in China since the book was published there on 1st June 2015, the publisher revealed at Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF) today (27th August).

The China sales accounted for a considerable amount of the book's total world-wide sales, with the global tally up to 6.8m. The South East Asian region has dominated the top 10 list of countries for the highest sales figures of Secret Garden. Sales in Korea have reached 500,000 copies and sales in Japan have reached 190,000 copies.

Brazil ranked second in worldwide sales for the title, with 1,163,582 units sold there while the English language countries (UK, US, Australia and others) sold 1,276,006 combined: 477,658 in the UK, 650,421 in the US and 147,846 in Australia.  

Laurence King said: “Adult colouring in books have become a global phenomenon but when we published Secret Garden, we never attempted to predict its sales figures. We take pride in publishing exciting books that capture imaginations, and Secret Garden is a testament to that philosophy."

He added: "We have been inspired by both the success of Secret Garden and Enchanted Forest, and are determined to continue taking risks, and publishing books which push the boundaries. Whether or not they become an international success comes secondary. At the least, we can say we have published a book we thought was exciting.”

Basford’s second title, Enchanted Forest (also published by Laurence King Publishing) has also sold over 2 million copies worldwide.

Laurence King Publishing’s next venture is the publication of Secret Garden Artists’ Edition, which features 20 pull-out and frame posters printed onto high-quality card. It will be released on 14th September.