Why are Millions of Grownups Buying Adult Coloring Books?

Amazon's Top 100 book list changes hourly, but did you know that among the top selling books on Amazon are Adult Coloring books?


 

Two slots on the Amazon top 10 are pretty much owned by an artist named Johanna Basford. But these books aren't novels—they are a collection of black-and-white drawings. The Scottish artist, who graduated from design school in 2005 has turned her lovely ink drawings into coloring books "for grownups". And they're extremely popular, selling millions of copies.

 

This was news to me - I had no idea that coloring for adults was a trend. What is it about these books that has made them so popular with adults?  When her books were first introduced 4 years ago, an adult coloring book market did not exist. But her 2013 introductory book: Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book has become a phenomenon - currently sitting at #2 on Amazon's Top 100 and has sold 1.4 million copies. Her follow-up collection, Enchanted Forest: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book is #6.

Why is coloring suddenly, a craze amongst grownups?

Well it seems that they provide adults with quiet therapy from their busy lives. User reviews on Amazon tell it all:

• * I was very excited to find this book! The designs are beautiful :)
• * This is a lovely book. It reminds me of the Doodle Art we'd spend hours creating back in our teens.
• * I can't say enough about this book! It makes me smile every time I look in it, colour in it or doodle in it! I've bought 3 of them, one for my daughter, one for myself & one that we can tear apart to colour & then frame certain pictures! HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book!!
• * So fun to color as an adult! This book will bring likely hundreds of hours of enjoyment.
• * So relaxing to sit down with this book and my adult markers.

 

So what motivates adults to color rather than, say, draw or paint or just doodle. Is it about nostalgia? Or do stressed-out adults feel comforted by returning to an activity for small children?  Or is it something else entirely?

 

 Coloring books are a way for adults who don't normally draw or paint to be creative without the daunting task of creating an original piece of Art. They also don't require anywhere near as much skill as creating a drawing or a portrait. Plus, there are the psychological benefits people find in removing themselves from the world around them. In essence, it helps people "RELAX" - taking them away from the everyday pressures of their job, family and pressures of life.
 

In an era when books can be downloaded and read in an instant - these books have remained as best sellers despite the fact that they must be shipped to the interested user.

Adult coloring books are a low tech, throw-back activity - back to a simpler time before the age of the internet, when all you had was your imagination.

Have you considered selling these items in your retail store or through your website? All the customer needs are a list of titles and some high quality markers. The Tombow dual-brush markers are a very popular product for this medium because of their vibrant colours and convenient, durable tips - brush tip at one end, fine tip at the other. They come in 10 pack sets and are the perfect instrument for the world of adult colouring.

For an independent review of Tombow markers, check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l87ys5ZWfao