Barnes & Noble Creates a Dedicated Middle School Graphic Novel Section
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Heidi MacDonald reports on the Barnes & Noble announcement that they will be promoting a pre-teen focused graphic book section:
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.
Publishers Weekly further reveals:
The sections will contain graphic novels in fiction, fantasy and adventure, history and science, including works from such popular bestselling middle grade comics artists as Kazu Kibuishi (Amulet), Raina Telgemeier (Ghosts), Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm (Babymouse), Svetlana Chamakova (Awkward), Erin Hunter (Warriors) and Vera Brosgol (Be Prepared).
Stephanie Fryling, B&N v-p merchandising, children’s books, expands on their version of the Dewey Decimal System in the Publishers Weekly item:
Fryling noted that certain series, such as Dav Piley’s Dog Man and Captain Underpants series, will continue to be shelved in the general Young Readers sections.
Fryling also said that the stores will not cross shelve the kids’ graphic novels in other categories, saying, “We’ll have a single destination for those who love and will come to love graphic novels.”
In addition, she said, there are no plans for dedicated sections devoted to teen and young adult graphic novels. “Graphic novels for this age group are merchandized in both the YA section and in the adult section adjacent to manga,” she explained.
This very popular “comic book” category has become a very popular format with cartoonists as a way to release their creativity in another venue. Among comic strip and cartooning creators entering this segment are Mark Tatulli, Stepan Pastis, Terri Libenson, Keith Knight, Judd Winick, Hope Larson, Michael Fry, Dana Simpson, Lincoln Peirce, Mark Parisi, Jerry Craft, and more that I apologize for overlooking right now.
Above is the cover of Jerry Craft’s forthcoming entry into the field as reported by The Beat.
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