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News, features and resources for media and publishing professionals. Friday, March 21, 2003 Blogs | Subscribe | Interviews | Events | Films | Book Blog Media Cynic | Forum | Advertising | Classifieds | Jobs Children's Book Sales Slide in 2002 Consumers purchased roughly 460 million books intended for children under 14 years of age in 2002 - down 2% from 2001, according to Ipsos Children's BookTrends, an ongoing tracking service from Ipsos, a global marketing research firm. Despite a lift in demand during the first half of the year, a sluggish fall quarter offset those early gains. Historically fourth quarter represents the largest percentage of unit volume. This held true for 2002, although the number of books purchased during October, November and December was the fewest in six years. The Ipsos survey of more than 16,000 nationally representative households found that consumers spent an estimated $1.91 billion on books intended for someone under 14 years old in 2002, roughly the same as in 2001. The children's book market continues to be plagued by a shrinking customer base. About 34.5% of U.S. households purchased a children's book last year, compared to 36.4% in 2001. At least part of the decline stems from population trends. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of children six to 13 years of age fell during 2002. And it was for this age group that the cutback in buying was most notable. Customers purchased children's books less often last year than they did in 2001. However, the number of books purchased on each shopping trip increased. "If there weren't so many fewer children to buy for, the children's publishing market probably wouldn't be in such dire straits," said Barrie Rappaport, author of the study and manager of Ipsos Children's BookTrends. Over the last several years, the importance of variety stores, mass merchandisers and toy stores has fallen in favor of dollar stores and traditional bookstores. Children's book buyers are increasingly buying books on the Internet. Still, the trend is not as notable as it is with books in general. Related Links: · Ipsos BookTrends Click here to return to the homepage of The Write NewsTM Click here to subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter. www.writenews.com Copyright © 1997-2007 by Writers Write, Inc. All Rights Reserved.