The 12th edition of the China Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair (CCBF) wrapped up its three-day run at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Centre on November 16. Co-organized by Ronbo BolognaFiere Shanghai, the fair hosted 474 exhibitors, of which 194 came from overseas. A special focus was placed on Norway, which will be the guest of honor at the 2026 Bologna Children’s Book Fair.

The first CCBF conference session at the fair was on market data, and it attracted the most attendees. Yang Lei, executive v-p at Beijing-based OpenBook, which is a clearinghouse for publishing statistics, summarized the current Chinese book market as cold and unexciting. The Chinese retail book market, he said, was down 2.1% in the first 10 months of 2025 compared to the same period last year. The children’s book segment was down 0.48% during that period and commanded 28.2% of the total Chinese book retail market, coming in second after test prep and study guides, which occupied a slightly bigger piece at 28.4%.

WeChat, Weibo, Douyin, Xiaohongshu, Kuaishou and other content-based platforms accounted for 47.6% of children's book sales in the 10 months of the year, but growth in this channel has slowed down in recent months. Sales through bricks-and-mortar bookstores contributed only 7.3%. Popular science titles continue to dominate the market, accounting for nearly 28.3% of sales, followed by children’s literature (16.9%), and picture books (15.2%). Social/emotional learning titles are rising in popularity, taking nearly 10% during the January-October 2025 period.

The practice of heavy discounting for children’s books has decreased significantly, and it is hoped that higher prices will firm up total sales. The market faces another challenge though--book output has fallen. About 15,700 new children’s titles were published in the first 10 months of 2025 compared to the 17,050 titles released in the January-October 2024 period. According to Yang, new titles—i.e., those published two years ago or more recently—sell more on content-based platforms while older titles, classics, and popular titles perform better in traditional channels, including online bookstores. In terms of translation, there are more books coming from the U.S. this year, followed by the U.K. and Japan.

Perspectives from Exhibitors

There was no lack of opinions and speculations coming from overseas exhibitors at CCBF on the lackluster Chinese children’s book market and sluggish rights-buying activities. From what PW heard, their comments can be divided into two camps. One—coming mostly from seasoned exhibitors that have built long-term relationships with local publishers—is that Chinese publishers are not buying rights at pre-Covid rates because they have been trying to get sell down the inventories that piled up during the prolonged lockdown. That approach has resulted in the heavy discounting practice that brought publishers high sales volume, but not necessarily better margins. Their advice is for overseas publishers to be patient and ride out the tough times and to focus on relationship-building and market research.

The other camp suggested that local publishers have built up their own production expertise to create original titles after many years of buying bestsellers, award-winners, and classic titles from overseas publishers that helped fuel a long period of double-digit growth in the Chinese children’s book segment. Chinese publishers, this theory goes, are getting more interested in selling—instead of purchasing—rights.

The in-depth topics of the 12 masterclasses and nine workshops at the Illustrators Survival Corner at CCBF offered insight into how the Chinese market has evolved. Gone were topics revolving around the basics of creating a picture book or telling a compelling story. Instead, major sessions included “The Art of the Book Jacket.” “The Illustrator’s Profession Today,” “Incubating and Promoting Illustrator IP,” and “Representing the Daily Life of Children,” which featured renowned Japanese illustrator Yoshitake Shinsuke.

Clearly, Chinese children’s publishers have moved beyond the basics to develop original titles and incubate homegrown talents, not just for domestic sales but also to target overseas markets. They are getting stronger in building their own IP, and soon CCBF (and the Chinese children’s book market) is likely to see more two-way traffic in terms of rights buying and selling instead of the current lopsided one-way flow of Chinese publishers mainly acquiring rights.

And this is exactly what Claudia Zoe Bedrick, publisher of New York-based Enchanted Lion Books, was looking for at CCBF. “I’m here to find local titles to translate and publish. I’m impressed by how well-conceived this fair is: the scale is just right, not overwhelming, and it has the right balance between overseas exhibitors and domestic players.” Bedrick was hosted under the BOP Prize Lounge area because she published Gianni Rodari’s The Grammar of Fantasy, illustrated by Matthew Forsythe. Rodari’s works were the subject of one conference session while Forsythe was involved in several workshops and panels. “I couldn’t possibly pass on this invitation to come here and I’m so glad to see for myself this massive market and get a feel of it.” Bedrick said. Enchanted Lion’s wordless book Bunny & Tree by Balint Zsako was published by Chinese publisher Everafter Books earlier this year.

Maud Sepult, group rights director at Simon & Schuster U.K., was a first-time CCBF exhibitor, and she “loved the colorful fair and the opportunities to talk to locals and fellow exhibitors alike.” She found that her visitors were more interested in educational titles and those offering moral values. “Unlike in the U.K., they are not looking for YA titles,” she said. “Instead, they want more nonfiction titles for teenagers. And there is little interest in products for ages three and below simply because this segment is very competitive and our price points just do not work.”

Sepult found the Chinese publishers that she met and talked with—and she met around 30 of them—to be technologically forward. “They are not just talking about print but the whole IP package, merchandise, and various media formats. They really embrace AI here and that is the opposite of the skepticism that we have back home.” For her, China offers a lot of opportunities simply because it is a growing market. “I feel positive about this market despite its current challenges.”

For CEO Elena Paltseva of six-year-old 40 Books in Moscow, CCBF differs a great deal from the book events she participates back in Russia. “Over here, we have the professional/business section, unlike the public-facing fairs back home. And I find this fair to be very illustration-based with specific areas and workshops aimed at illustrators.” But the best part of being at CCBF was the opportunities to meet more than just Chinese publishers. “I have had great meetings with those from Italy, Mongolia, South Korea, and Thailand—publishers that I wouldn’t meet if I weren’t here. So I look forward to coming back again and promoting our fairly young publishing company and the nearly 40 titles that we have in our catalog.”

CCBF, said Pinelopi Pourpotidou, foreign and digital sales director at Michael O’Mara Books, “has shrunk for me, especially on trade and international representation. I met fewer editors this time. My contacts over in the domestic zone have also remarked on less foot traffic at this event. The economic downturn in China has affected consumption and people are simply buying less.” Despite having fewer meetings, Pourpotidou found the exchanges to be more productive. “However, I am not seeing the same level of advances, even for similar series, that we got pre-pandemic. Everyone has gone cost-conscious and buying rights from overseas has become more complex for Chinese publishers. At the same time, I met more wanting to sell me their titles this time.” For Pourpotidou, while it is great to be back for her fourth CCBF, she is proceeding with caution when it comes to the Chinese children’s book market.

For Jackie Huang, chief representative at Andrew Nurnberg Associates in Beijing, there are two major shifts in the Chinese book market right now. The first revolves around book distribution. “We need better and more independent bookstores that can sell trade books and get book buyers to go back to bricks-and-mortar shops. During the pandemic and its long lockdown, buyers got used to purchasing online and now they are stuck with that habit. But social media has its limitations when it comes to selling trade books. We need bookstores to become cultural hubs where the reading community can gather for good stories, coffee, and reading events.”

While Xinhua Bookstore is the largest and only country-wide chain in China, its focus has always been on test preps and academic titles as well as stationery items. So, nearly 80% of trade books in China are currently sold through social media-based platforms instead of through Xinhua or other bricks-and-mortar stores.

The second shift concerns the local editors. “They are becoming more selective, buying less, and trying to sell more,” Huang said. “Basically, Chinese publishers have built up their own titles and IPs, and they are now looking to license their products. Increasingly, local editors are going to the overseas publishers and asking for content customization to fit local preferences. They know what works and overseas editors are getting used to the idea of tailoring a title or series for the Chinese market. Maybe they will go for a longer series or smaller format. On both sides, I see the editors becoming more flexible and that is a good thing.”

As for current trends, Alicia Liu, CEO of the London-based Singing Grass consultancy firm, had this to share: “Gen Z is redefining how stories are told and experienced across the globe. In the West, YA romantasy and graphic novels continue to surge, but across markets the deeper shift is clear: visual storytelling has never been more influential. Gen Z and Gen Alpha respond instantly to aesthetics, symbolism, and recognizable emotional cues, whether in illustrated books, comics, or IP-driven universes. Despite assumptions that this generation has traded reading for short-form videos or blind boxes, what they truly seek is rapid emotional connection—it’s an era of ‘emotional consumption,’ where super-symbols travel fast, yet words still leave the longest-lasting imprint. The global rise of Pop Mart and Labubu shows how powerfully Chinese super-symbols can win hearts and minds.” Liu was one of the speakers in a CCBF session exploring the art and impact of contemporary cover design.

The next CCBF will be held November 13–15, 2026.