Who's Buying the Children's Books?
And why the way we’re talking about them isn’t keeping up.
I've been thinking about something for a bit— can’t quite shake it.
It started in a bookstore. It resurfaced in my Facebook group. And it hit again when a parent said, "I just want something that helps us talk."
So let’s talk.
Who's Actually Buying the Children’s Books?
It used to be mostly institutions—schools, libraries, districts with a budget and a booklist. That was the children’s book ecosystem for a long time.
But now? It’s mostly parents. Caregivers. Aunties. Grandparents. Regular folks buying books with their own money, often with their hearts.
Some estimates suggest that about 60–65% of children’s book sales today come from consumers. Parents, not schools. That’s a shift. A big one. [Source: Politico interview, 2022]
And yet… most of the messaging? Still written like we’re talking to librarians and teachers.
What’s the Message Parents Are Getting?
You know the phrases:
“Aligned to SEL for grades K–3.”
“Perfect for classroom use.”
“Builds literacy skills.”
It’s not wrong. It’s just… not human.
When parents are told to read, they’re told to do it for literacy. But when life is heavy—when bedtime is chaotic, or grief is in the room, or everyone’s on their last nerve—reading for literacy feels like another assignment. Another checkbox. Another thing to fail at.
That’s the disconnect I keep seeing. In all of the spaces that I’m in.
What If We Flipped the Frame?
What if the question wasn’t "What will this book teach?" but "What will this book make possible?"
A moment of calm?
A giggle after a long day?
A way into a hard conversation?
A memory?
That’s what parents are hoping for. That’s what families actually need. But most authors don’t know how to talk about their books in that way. Not because they don’t care—but because no one ever taught them how.
Why I Built ENGAGE™ for Authors
A while back, I started noticing something.
Authors were writing books that held so much heart. Real stories. Real moments. But when it came time to describe those books? They defaulted to what they’d seen modeled: classroom phrases, age ranges, SEL checklists.
It wasn’t because they didn’t care. It’s because no one had ever shown them how to speak to the moment that matters most—the one between a parent and child, book in hand.
That’s why I created ENGAGE™ for Authors.
It’s a private podcast series for authors who wrote more than just a book. You wrote a moment. A mirror. A memory.
One author finished the whole thing in a day and emailed me right after:
“Quinn! That was amazing and straight to the point.”
I’m still waiting on the full download—but part of me hopes she just got to work.
That’s what ENGAGE for Authors is built for: giving you the clarity to move.
If you've ever felt like your book has more to say—but you didn’t know how to say it—this is where that clarity begins.
A Note to Publishers
If parents are now the primary buyers, then we need to talk to them like it. Not just about literacy. But about life.
Books are already being used as bridges. What would shift if our marketing reflected that?
What if jacket copy made space for emotion, not just curriculum? What if we gave parents language for the moment—not just the message?
There’s an opportunity here. One that invites more people in, and makes books feel like they belong in homes—not just classrooms.
I’m not here with answers. I’m here with an honest observation and a door wide open.
So tell me—what do you see?
My best,
Quinn 📚💕
P.S. If this resonated, feel free to hit reply, comment, or share with a fellow author who’s trying to reach families in a real way.
That was a shocking statistic for who’s doing the purchasing.