Adult colouring books are 2015’s hot publishing trend, says Pacific Magazines boss Zavecz
Adult colouring books have brought a new lease of life to the publishing industry, the boss of the country’s second largest publisher has claimed.
Peter Zavecz, CEO of Pacific Magazines, told Mumbrella that the company is to launch another three colouring in books before Christmas following successes with colouring books under the Better Homes & Gardens, New Idea and That’s Life mastheads.
New Idea: Colouring-in is readers new ‘happy place’
The trend, which has also seen Bauer Media launch an Australian Women’s Weekly branded colouring book, began overseas.
Zavecz said: “Trend following is something we’re right into and we know these trends come and go very quickly.”
Peter Zavecz: Chasing the colouring-in trend
He explained the company saw the trend in Europe and the prices colouring books were selling for online signalled an attractive revenue opportunity.
That’s Life’s: Calm the mind
“It’s one of those trends that won’t last a long time but if you get in early, you can certainly take advantage of the opportunity,” Zavecz said.
He added: “Our supermarket partners love it. What it does it shows an extra dimension to that relationship we have with consumers.
“The good thing for us internally is that it reminds us that people are still excited about innovation in print. People are still connecting to print products and they will respond to innovation.
For Pacific Magazines with each colouring in book selling for $9.99 a pop they are a “very profitable” part of the business.
“The four have been our best selling “one-shops” for quite some time and all of them have shown very similar results,” Zavecz said.
He declined to divulge actual sales figures, only saying “It’s very profitable. It’ll be profitable until everyone floods the market.”
Bauer Media’s The Australian Women’s Weekly last month launched its first colouring in book, which sells for $9.95 a copy. AWW editor-in-chief helen McCabe told Mumbrella: “Yes it has been a great success and we certainly have plans for more.”
Bauer has now entered the increasingly competitive colouring-in market
The trend is being driven by a consumer desire to switch off from mobile and digital devices, Zavecz said.
Better Homes & Gardens: Happy mind
“For every trend there’s a counter-trend and people need some time out from their iPhone to chill and de-stress and take a lot of things off their mind.
Zavecz declined to reveal which colouring brands will launch next, saying only that they would include more titles related to Better Homes and “a couple of little twists”.
This is not the first time Pacific Magazines has jumped on a trend Zavecz said, with knitting specials another new revenue stream.
“We saw knitting as a trend a long time and we’ve done a number of knitting specials and we’re even selling wool online,” he said.
Miranda Ward
Peter Zavecz is speaking at next week’s Publish Conference on the Question Time panel where he is joined by NewsLifeMedia CEO Nicole Sheffield, Mediacom chief investment officer Nicole Turley, The Newspaper Works CEO Mark Hollands and chairman of Publishers Australia and Hunterfive Group CEO Ash Hunter. For more information on the program and how to book tickets click on the banner below.
Miranda Ward worked for Mumbrella from 2013 to 2017, eventually becoming deputy editor. Miranda joined Mumbrella in September 2013 from Sky News.
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This says more about AWW, Better Homes & Gardens, New Idea and That’s Life readers than anything else.
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if it slows people down it’s good.
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@ monkey, maybe it does. But those people buy stuff.
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What are they buying? Safety scissors for their arts and crafts box? A really cool matchbox car? A new sticker to decorate their drinkbottle?
I suspect if you spend your day doing a colouring in book, you’re not raking in the dough. While there is a profit in selling geegaws for the thick, the real money is selling to people who wear shoes with laces instead of velco.
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@monkey Good to see snobbery is alive and well in your world.
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Cool mate, let’s catch up for some PlayDoh and jigsaws.
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That would be “one-shots”, not “one-shops”.
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Monkey, you need to calm down. I’m not sure what colouring books ever did to personally victimize you, but it’s going to be okay. Promise.
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“Animal Lovers”?
I thought that kind of thing was against the law and against nature.
At least I hope it is!
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@Mike: oh shit, really, are you sure?
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I suspect a Mumbrella colouring book is on the way. Three versions. Colouring in above the line, below the line and through the line. Who remembers the line?
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Colouring outside of the lines was treated with corporal punishment in my house.
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Who would have thought in a digital age, colouring books that were so common in the 1970s, are making a comeback?
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Adult colouring books and going out for breakfast are now tied for pastimes for adults who have waaay too much time on their hands.
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Hi,
My newsagency sells colouring in books for adults and I can tell you that the people buying the books are eclectic (including professionals who are earning well over $200k sorry Monkey!). They cater to everyone, I have zombie colouring in books, skateboarding, the list goes on. It is just a bit of fun and if it helps people take some time out for themselves during a hectic life then is it a bad thing!
The colouring in books brought out by Pacific and AWW are not the most popular titles and they are actually entering the market approx. 6 months too late as the product life-cycle is in maturity.
Cheers
Chris
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