Story at a glance
- More books are being targeted and banned in classrooms and libraries across the country.
- When certain books are banned, many receive heightened media attention.
- That media coverage has translated to a sharp increase in banned book sales, but 82 to 97 percent of book bans still go unreported.
As book bans and challenges mount across the country, the extra media attention — especially during Banned Book Week — gives some authors a boost in sales, even if their works are removed from some shelves.
A record number of books have been banned from schools and libraries, according to the nonprofit PEN America, with a total of 2,532 instances of individual books being banned across the country between June 2021 and June 2022.
While some are working to restrict access to certain titles, their bans and challenges may be having the opposite effect: bringing national attention tothese books and in turn increasing the number of Americans who are buying them.
For instance, the most challenged book last year — “Gender Queer” by Maia Kolbabe — saw a 130 percent increase in U.S. print sales in May, according to a report by NPD BookScan. The publishing tracker noted this came after dozens of schools pulled the book from their libraries and the media covered the controversy around it.
“Gender Queer” follows Kolbabe’s exploration of sexuality and identity outside the gender binary.
Notably, Republicans in North and South Carolina, Texas and Virginia have called the book“p*rnographic” and “likely illegal.”
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The books “Maus I” and “Maus II” by Art Spiegelman saw a similar bump in sales and coverageafter a Tennessee school board banned them in January.NPD found sales jumped 50 percent within a matter of days, while sales for the combined titles have reached 1.2 million units since NPD began tracking books in 2004.
Author Ibram X. Kendi also saw sales for his book, “Antiracist Baby,” increase 5,000 percent in March after Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) criticized it during the Supreme Court hearing for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Sometimes even the publisher themselves pulling a book can increase demand.After Dr. Suess Enterprises announced in March 2021 it would no longer publish six of its books due to“hurtful and wrong” portrayals, more than 10 million additional juvenile fiction titles were sold that month than the previous month.
According to NPD, “the news had a significant effect on the sales volume for Dr. Seuss titles, as consumers reacted to a perceived ‘cancellation’ of Dr. Seuss generally.”
Dr. Seuss Enterprises decided to stop publishes certain bookslike “Mulberry Street,” which featured a racial stereotype of an Asian man with slanted lines for eyes.
A bump in sales usually correlated to those books most covered in the news, NPD found. Sales data for a longer list ofbanned titles, beyond those prominently featured in headlines, was more of a mixed bag.
“Within this sample, only half exhibited a sales increase, suggesting it is the news cycle that is driving sales rather than a wider consumer protest,” said Kristen McLean, books industry analyst for NPD.
McLean explained that the immediacy of a news story regarding a banned book drives consumers to react and that it’s likely many consumers don’t know about other widely banned books.
The American Library Association estimates that between 82 to 97 percent of requests to remove books from libraries or schools go unreported and don’t receive any media attention.
Banned Book Week, happening now until Sept. 24, also hopes to bring more attention to banned books and the effects of book censorship and intellectual freedom. The honorary weekwas established in 1982 as a direct response to a surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries.
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FAQs
In the U.S., since books cannot ordinarily be banned from all outlets but only by specific organizations, banning a book often increases sales, as people want to see what the fuss is about.
What can banning books cause? ›
More than a third of educators noted that book bans discourage students' critical thinking, and 78 percent reported that students are reading more when given the choice to read banned books.
What are two reasons why people might want to ban or restrict books? ›
Why are books challenged?
- the material was considered to be "sexually explicit"
- the material contained "offensive language"
- the materials was "unsuited to any age group"
In many cases, the banned books are the ones that tackle crucial, albeit uncomfortable, topics – race, gender, sexuality, religion, and politics. Not exposing children to these themes could lead to a lack of empathy, critical thinking skills, and awareness of societal problems.
Is banning books a good idea? ›
Opponents of bans argue that by restricting information and discouraging freedom of thought, censors undermine one of the primary functions of education: teaching students how to think for themselves. Such actions, assert free speech proponents, endanger tolerance, free expression, and democracy.
How does banning books affect us? ›
By labeling certain topics such as sexuality or race as taboo to express opinions about, banned books create a large scope of fear of expression, fear of not being accepted, and the fear of change.
Who is most affected by book banning? ›
Ultimately, those who lose the most when a book is banned are the authors who write for children and the children who may never have a chance to read those works in their schools or local libraries, said Ahmed.
What are the long term effects of book banning? ›
Book bans restrict the intellectual and emotional growth of children, stifling critical thinking, suppressing emotional development, and reducing empathy.
Why is Harry Potter a banned book? ›
There were concerns over the violence and increasingly dark tone of the later books but most of the censorship attempts were for religious reasons. It was also banned in some Christian schools in the UK.
What are the top 3 reasons books are banned? ›
offensive language (61.5%) unsuited to age group (49%) religious viewpoint (26%)
But attempts to ban or restrict access to books, which are often driven by an agenda to divide communities and isolate viewpoints, undermines artistic freedom. Being able to learn about and engage with new ideas, especially those we may disagree with, is foundational to any healthy democracy.
What was the first book banned? ›
What is considered the first book ban in the United States took place in 1637 in what is now known as Quincy, Massachusetts. Thomas Morton published his New English Canaan which was subsequently banned by the Puritan government as it was considered a harsh and heretical critique of Puritan customs and power structures.
What do experts say about banning books? ›
Eighty-seven percent of educators reported that they personally believe that book bans are rarely or never justified. Nearly 60 percent of educators believe that their school/district generally opposes book banning. And 63 percent of educators responded that students of all ages can benefit from diverse content.
Who is trying to ban books now? ›
While activists across the political spectrum have sought to restrict or protest some forms of literature, the vast majority of book challenges are from conservative-leaning groups, researchers say. Only a handful of efforts have also come from liberal sources, mainly targeting books with racist or offensive language.
Why do schools read banned books? ›
Because often, the books that are banned have a lot more to say than just their objectionable content. In fact, the things people find offensive may be a minor part of the work as a whole, or a mere literary device used to discuss greater truths that could benefit the next generation.
What are the statistics for book banning? ›
How many books were challenged or banned? Of the record 2,571 unique titles targeted for censorship in 2022, most were written by or about LGBTQ+ people, Black people, Indigenous people and people of color.
How has BookTok affected sales? ›
Impact of BookTok on book sales
BookTok became well-known for the promotion of backlist titles, making some of them best-sellers years after their original release: BookTok helped in selling around 20 million books in 2021, which represents over 2.4% of the total book sales count for the year.
Are print book sales declining? ›
US print book sales fell by only 2.6% in 2023 from 2022 at outlets that report to Circana BookScan, following a strong final pre-Christmas week. Publishers Weekly reported that 767 million units were sold in the US last year versus 788 million in 2022.
Are sales of books declining? ›
Board book sales were basically flat at 48 million copies. Despite the 2023 sales drop of 2.6% and the more pronounced decline of 6.5% between 2021 and 2022, print unit sales in 2023 were still 10% ahead of the last prepandemic year in 2019.
