Rising Book Sales in Germany Amidst Industry Concerns Over Declining Readership
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Loading... - Liselotte Winkler
- 06 Aug 2024
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Germany's book industry experienced a modest growth in sales in 2023, but there are significant concerns about the long-term sustainability of this growth due to declining readership. According to the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels (German Publishers and Booksellers Association), book sales increased by 2.8% to €9.7 billion in 2023. Despite this positive figure, the industry remains cautious due to high costs and reduced consumer spending, said managing director Peter Kraus vom Cleff.
Kraus vom Cleff highlighted that the general economic conditions continue to challenge book retailers, publishers, and industry logistics. He noted that overall sales are decreasing and the number of consumers is dwindling. "Fewer people are visiting city centers for shopping, leading to lower footfall in stores and on high streets," he added.
The latest data for 2024 shows a 1.2% increase in sales in the first half of the year. However, this growth is misleading, as it was driven by a 2.8% rise in book prices, indicating an actual sales decline of 1.6%. This has raised alarm within the industry.
Both brick-and-mortar bookstores and online booksellers saw growth in 2023. Physical bookstores, excluding e-commerce, saw a 2.6% rise in sales to €4.05 billion, maintaining a 41.8% share of the total industry turnover. Online book sales increased by 5.5% to €2.4 billion, accounting for a 24.8% market share. Over the past five years, online trade has benefited significantly from the boost during the COVID-19 pandemic, with sales up 29.5% compared to 2019, whereas physical stores saw a decline of 5.5%.
Growth in Specific Book Categories
The increase in sales was mainly due to growth in four key book categories:
- Fiction (+7.7%, accounting for 35.5% of sales)
- Children's books/Young Adult (YA) (+2.5%)
- School books/learning materials (+5%)
- Non-fiction (+2.7%)
The demand for e-books remained stable but relatively low, with 3 million buyers in the consumer market, consistent with 2022 levels.
