Trade hails Waterstones Children's Book of the Month impact

Sales of books included in Waterstones‘ Children’s Book of the Month promotion in 2016 totalled 327,854 units through Nielsen BookScan, demonstrating the retailer’s influence in shaping the market for Middle Grade titles.

Each month the high-street bookseller selects one kids’ title to promote in its shops. The titles are chosen by children’s buyer Florentyna Martin, who told The Bookseller she looks for titles that “captivate the reader” with “fresh and interesting characters and intriguing plotlines”.

Even though the promotion is not confined to Middle Grade books, Martin said she often picks books for the eight to 12 age group because of their broad appeal. “We see a lot of younger fiction being chosen as Book of the Month, as it has such a strong appeal across younger and older readers,” she said.

Waterstones declined to give exact sales figures recorded through its estate, but it said David Solomons’ My Brother is a Superhero, which was Children’s Book of the Month in March and April, and won the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize last year, saw a volume increase of 1,400% across the chain after its award win. However, all the books selected in 2016 posted substantial sales through BookScan. My Brother is a Superhero was the biggest seller, followed by The Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave (43,599 copies) and Time Travelling with a Hamster by Ross Welford (38,241 units).

Kiran Millwood Hargrave led the four Chicken House authors included in the promotion in 2016 in sales terms

Barry Cunningham, m.d. of Chicken House, which had four titles in the promotion last year, said it boosts sales by 10,000–15,000 copies, on average, and in some cases “even by 40,000– 50,000 copies”. Authors “practically pass out with excitement” when selected, he said, adding that the promotion “provides a platform for their career”. He continued: “It’s great that Waterstones doesn’t just go for big names, it goes for début authors. We love that it’s not one draconian system where everything is the same; instead the booksellers create these incredible window displays. It fields the local into the national. Our authors will support it by going to do signings and other activities. When you go out, there is a sense that people have seen the book and heard about it already. For us especially, it makes a difference as we don’t have the megabucks that some of the bigger publishers do.”

Millwood Hargrave said The Girl of Ink and Stars sold 4,500 copies in the first week of its inclusion in the scheme, of which “around 4,000” units were sold through Waterstones. “As a début with no public profile to speak of, that speaks volumes about the reach and influence Waterstones has,” she said. “It matters that Waterstones is putting so much behind children’s books and I think other stores should commit to this too, if they are able.”

Kate Wilson, m.d. of Nosy Crow, said it was a “brilliant commercial initiative”, adding: “The thoughtful, savvy feedback we get from [Waterstones’] head office continues to inform our publishing.”

J P Hunting, head of sales at HarperCollins Children’s, added: “The top five children’s débuts last year were all Book of the Month [picks]. The company has carved out this niche. It is good at collaborating with publishers anyway, and at identifying titles that will work. It means the stores will sell 8,000–10,000 throughout the month, as opposed to a couple of thousand across the trade. [Another] benefit is that it attracts more noise in the industry itself. Time Travelling with a Hamster was shortlisted for the Costa Children’s Book Award and the Sainsbury’s Children’s Book Awards [after its selection]. The fact that it was chosen by Waterstones means it gets noticed in the industry.”

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