20 Years Later: September 11th

This year Americans will commemorate the life-changing events of September 11, 2001, twenty years ago. In addition to tributes to those who lost their lives, including the traditional reading of names, and honoring the heroes of that day, many will ruminate about the ongoing war on terror that’s since taken place. The expected complete withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan by 9/11 of this year as ordered by President Biden will have readers refocused on all that has transpired over the past 20 years. 

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Sales of Comics and Graphic Novels Up 6% in 2020

According to an estimate by pop culture trade news sites ICv2 and Comichron, graphic novel sales in particular via the bookstore channel were $645 million, higher than comic book shops. 

According to the report, sales in the bookstore channel (which includes physical stores and online retailers) increased “dramatically” over comics shop market share and the popularity of graphic novels over periodical comics continued to grow. (PublishersWeekly.com)

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Outdoor Skills

10.1 million households camped for the first time in 2020, and more than 60% of these first-time campers plan to camp the same or more in the coming year (Kampgrounds of America’s annual North American Camping Report). Camping, hiking, and outdoor skills backlist is sure to see increases, so we need to ensure customers are well-stocked.

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Homeschooling Numbers Are Up

Homeschooling in the 1980s typically called to mind white, middle class families who opted out of traditional district or private schools to focus on teaching their children through the lens of their religious faith.

In recent years, homeschooling has moved far beyond being the preferred learning method of a handful of American families, increasing in popularity as parents become less satisfied with more traditional choices. (redefineonline.org)

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End of the War in Afghanistan?

In April, President Joe Biden said the war in Afghanistan was never meant to be multi-generational, as he officially announced the drawdown of all 2,500 U.S. troops in that country beginning May 1 and concluding by Sepember 11, the 20th anniversary of the war. (www.defense.gov)

The Taliban insurgency remains resilient nearly two decades after U.S.-led forces toppled its regime in what led to the United States’ longest war. (Council on Foreign Relations).

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Weddings Are Back

After many weddings were cancelled or postponed in 2020 because of the pandemic, this year’s wedding season is expected to be much busier. Nearly half of couples with weddings originally scheduled for 2020 opted to postpone part of their wedding. In fact, nearly 32% hosted a ceremony in 2020 but postponed their reception, in hopes of having the wedding celebration they always imagined (The Know 2020 Real Wedding Study).

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Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon (UFOs)

After decades of public denial, the Pentagon now grudgingly acknowledges unidentified aerial phenomena (UFOs) exist. CBS’s “Sixty Minutes” reports that a U.S. Senate intelligence committee has ordered the director of national intelligence and the secretary of defense to deliver a report on the mysterious sightings by next month.

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Addiction

The month of July sees more online searches for “addiction” than other times of year, so it may be a good time for booksellers to stock that section more heavily, or even remove books from the section to make them more findable for customers.

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