Color It Confusing: Can the UK’s VAT People Classify Coloring Books as Not Books?

Recently, one of the bright spots of British publishing, as in the States and elsewhere, has been the craze for adult coloring books. Their popularity has helped to fuel the industry’s gains in print sales. (More on the UK’s 2015 statistics here.)

But now, The Bookseller’s Lisa Campbell reports, several publishers—ranging from large corporations to independents—”have received letters from the government’s tax department requesting money owned for VAT (value added tax) on adult coloring book titles after filing their end-of-year returns.”