Novel approaches to passing time
Publishing needs to start thinking about its next phenomenon.
I'm not talking about a hot new literary author, or the next “Harry Potter” or “Game of Thrones.”
When it comes to the health of publishing's bottom line, it's adult coloring books that are providing a significant boost.
Year-to-year comparison for the first six months of 2015 vs. 2016 shows that units sold in the crafts/hobbies/antiques/games category (which includes adult coloring books) increased by 133 percent, which all by itself accounts for approximately half of the 12 percent increase overall in total nonfiction sales.
As reported by Publishers Weekly, two Harry Potter coloring books and something called “Color Your Own Deadpool” (as in the profane comic book character) led the way in terms of sales.
My inability to color inside the lines almost kept me from starting kindergarten in the first place, and I don't think my skills have improved since, so I have little interest in these diversions, but I guess I'm happy for anything that helps improve the financial fortunes of publishers. If people want to color until their fingers fall off, all blessings from me.
But of course, adult coloring books are a phase that's going to fade. Remember Sudoku?
Yeah, me neither.
To find the next fad, we need to understand the appeal of the current fad. As I understand the phenomenon, fans of adult coloring books find the activity calming, a way of occupying one's brain at just the right intensity. It requires focus, but, unlike Sudoku or crossword puzzles, coloring taxes our coordination rather than our cognition.
Coloring books are well-suited to be an antidote to our contemporary age of hyper-stimulation. Maybe the next novelty could be found in the book-related games of my youth.
For a long time the “Invisible Ink Yes & Know” books were a personal favorite. Any long car trip came with a fresh volume — “appropriate for ages 8-88” — that would occupy me with its combination of puzzles and games. On reflection, though, we can see them as very low-tech versions of the games we now have on the phones that we're trying to escape from.
I remember hours of enjoyment working through a series of “Klutz” books that provided activities oriented toward mastering a skill. The juggling and rope-tying volumes were my favorites. Once you get the hang of it, juggling is quite relaxing. If you're going to try to keep four beanbags in the air, your mind can't be concerned with anything else.
And should I ever find myself on a tramp steamer, my sheepshank knot should come in handy.
Shrinky Dinks? Remember those? What about adult-themed Shrinky Dinks? We could have Election 2016 edition with extra orange pencils for you-know-who. Or what about a celebrity tabloid series where you can decorate a Gwyneth Paltrow figurine becoming consciously uncoupled from Chris Martin? I bet a Brangelina divorce set would sell like gangbusters.
Or maybe it's not possible to predict the next novelty. We are a nation of fads. Rubik's Cubes, Pet Rocks, Pogs, swing bands, GoPros. These things — like adult coloring books — arrive, and, for a while, we wonder how we ever lived without them.
The novelty of the adult coloring book will fade. I imagine many of those purchased will sit unmarked. But there's an interesting, more enduring word inside “novelty”: “novel.”
The novel in English is 350-400 years old (depending on what book you think first meets the definition). It's just a young thing, relatively speaking, but it looks as if it's here to stay.
Coloring books are fine, but when I need leave of this world, I turn to a novel, not a novelty.
Book recommendations from The Biblioracle
A reader after my own heart, with a lot of new fiction represented here. But sometimes, staying on top of the new can put us in a rut, and it's fun to go back to something not quite so current and let the stream of new titles pass us by. We'll never keep up with the flood. (That's advice to myself as much as anyone.) In that spirit, here's a fun, historical novel that's reminiscent of the work of E.L. Doctorow,
We have a bit of the opposite here, someone who's primarily drawn to some thoroughly vetted classics. There's a comfort in choosing these books, which have been validated by so many readers before. But it can also be fun to be like Yancy above and feel the pulse of the present. Pete should try out
A clear interest in comedy on display here, which makes me think of Judd Apatow's book of interviews with comedians, including Amy Schumer, whom Ariel appears to be particularly interested in,
What should you read?
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