Barnes & Noble made it official today. As first reported in The Beat, the retail chain will be adding a separate kids graphic novel section to its stores. According to the official release the sections are aimed at readers 7-12 and will include such titles as Amulet, Wings of Fire, and Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales, as well as category giant Raina Telgemeier.

The move is a recognition of the growth of the category, one of the fastest growing book segments in either adult or children’s categories. The sections will carry more than 250 titles in the  Fiction, Fantasy & Adventure, History, and Science. And realisticially this is a huge step forward for kids comics. When B&N expanded their dedicated comics sections nearly 20 years ago, sales grew apace.

“Readership of graphic novels continues to grow and expand, with kids flocking to this popular genre,” said Stephanie Fryling, Vice President of Merchandising, Children’s Books at Barnes & Noble. “Graphic Novels are a way for kids to appreciate both reading and art, and the breadth of talent for both authors and illustrators in this category is amazing.”

The move is one embraced by publishers, who have been increasing their kids GN offering by the bucketload over the last few years. And its the way forward.

Or if you like, just call it the “Raina Section.”

Elite Beat Operatives have been spotting these sections in the wild for a while now. feel free to add your own sighting and photo sin the comments!

Photo: Bigstock.

 

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7 COMMENTS

  1. A little late to the party – but I guess good for them. Not sure how many stores they have left, but if this keeps the doors open for a little longer, maybe it helps.

  2. While it will take some time to grow, from what I’ve seen it does seem to support books beyond Raina… I’ve seen Image in it, Lion Forge… and ActionLabs.

  3. Let’s just hope the B&N employees that have zero awareness about graphic novels are able to distinguish which type of graphic novel goes where.

  4. I think this is great. It’s easy to keep thinking comic shops are the end all, but in my town, the local book store has a much much better curated comics/graphic novel department than the local comic shop that’s 2 blocks away. They have more inventory flexibility and are more likely to stock non superhero and more diverse titles from different types of publishers like 1st second, graphix etc. I think it’ll be an easier sell for parents also to pick up a graphic novel for the kid as they get a novel or something for them as well. A more complete and friendlier shopping experience than the comic shop that seems like its for adult hobbyists only.

  5. 1) 630 stores. No major closings, although the 2018 annual report (10-K) does list how many leases expire in the coming years.
    2) Lion Forge has four titles. Action Labs: 10. Image: 4. Marvel: 0 (But lots from Disney.)
    3) This is a curated list, so not all graphic novels in the Children’s department get shelved here. (Some are Young Readers, some are non-fiction.) As with the adult Graphic Novel section, store systems will tell employees what goes where.
    4) Regarding book stores vs. comics shops… There’s a third option, which is even more highly curated and accessible: libraries. 16,536 public libraries, 81,200 public school libraries.
    library locator: https://www.worldcat.org/libraries

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