Halloween: An enormous growth oppportunity for books

Written By Tara Lewis

With Halloween spending growing year to year, opportunities for children’s books to benefit from this seasonal market remain bigger than ever. With the adults in a child’s life taking part in the festive holiday by gift-buying—parents, caregivers, grandparents, and educators—inexpensive book offerings have become a strong and healthy substitute for candy.

NRF: Halloween Spending Survey 2024, conducted by Prosper Insights an Analytics

Strength of Halloween market in US

Consumers in the United States spent a record $12.2 billion last year on Halloween. This makes it one of the highest retail spending events of the year. This year, that number decreased slightly.

Consumer stats for Halloween

With about three out of four consumers in the United States celebrating Halloween, that is a huge consumer base to tap into for children’s Halloween book buys, to substitute or add to candy-giving. On average, U.S. shoppers spend approximately $103.63 per person on Halloween-related products.


Timing is everything

Most of the Halloween shopping, whether costumes, decor, greeting cards, or candy, was done before October, making early shopping key to less stress purchasing. This means products, including books, must be out as early as August. Yet last-minute shopping was also prevalent, with sales of Halloween-themed books increasing by more than 65% in the two weeks leading up to the second week of October.

Where consumers were buying

Warehouse clubs are a big part of the spending market for Halloween buys, but impulse buying for gifts rather than candy are important as well, making discount stores, independent bookstores, and party stores, convenient for last-minute purchases. Giant online retailers drove 47% of Halloween sales.

Source: NRF’s 2024 Halloween Spending Survey, conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics

Bottom line

Halloween continues to be an upward-trending marketing for U.S. consumers, with early availability being key, and opportunities for new book titles continuing to rise.

Sources: National Retail Federation, WebInterpret, The Bookseller

Tara Lewis

I am an experienced children’s book marketing professional with more than twenty years in the children’s book publishing industry. I have insight into the workings of children’s book publishers and internal operations and processes, having managed a global marketing department as a Director at Disney Publishing Worldwide for six years and managed teams at Scholastic Inc. for six years, before opening my own children’s book marketing business.

I have worked with a broad range of children’s original titles in the picture book, middle-grade, and young adult categories. I have also spearheaded the campaigns for many licensed book series such as Scooby-Doo, Disney Princess, Harry Potter paperbacks, Pokemon, Powerpuff Girls, Marvel, Lego, Tinkerbell, Matchbox, Winnie the Pooh, and Baby Einstein.

My marketing planning included not only devising the strategies but also conducting competitive analysis reports, writing press releases, articles, blogs, catalog copy, and news pieces for the product. I worked on a daily basis with the editorial teams to bring a successful book to market.

As a freelancer, I provide the following services:

-Marketing plan development (strategy, tactics, social, deliverables, etc.)

-Writing press releases, author bios, catalog copy, book blurbs

-Market research and competitive analysis

-Creating book proposals for authors to submit to publishing houses. Also query letters.

-Book editing and proofreading

-Book reviews

My areas of specialty are picture books, middle-grade, and YA. I love working with self-published authors to help them navigate and understand the publishing process. I also enjoy working with seasoned publishing veterans.

I have an impeccable career history at the highest level at the best publishing houses in the world. Let me help you - and your book - make the leap from good to great! I will help your book get the exposure and readership that it deserves.

https://www.taralewisbooks.com/