Inside the Australian and New Zealand book industry

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European book sales up slightly in 2015

The Federation of European Publishers (FEP) has released a survey showing a ‘small increase’ in total sales revenue in 2015 for publishers in the European Union and the European Economic Area, reports Publishing Perspectives. The estimated 2015 revenue total of €22.3bn (A$31.7bn), a small increase from the 2014 estimate of €22bn (A$31.3bn), was pulled from reports submitted by 28 national publisher associations represented by FEP. The report notes that the ‘small increase’ is the ‘result of a mixed picture, with several markets recording a lower turnover than the previous year, but also a number of others confirming previous positive trends or reverting downwards tendencies’. Germany, the UK, France, Italy and Spain recorded the largest turnover in 2015, and the survey estimates the total market value at €36-38bn (A$51-54bn). The number of titles published in Europe in 2015 showed a ‘significant increase’, with 575,000 new titles recorded, which includes new editions and non-commercial titles. The rise is attributed to an increase in digital publishing, digitisation of publishers’ back catalogues, the growth of print-on-demand services and a rise in self-published titles, particularly in the UK. The survey also measured employment figures, estimating around 125,000 people are working in the publishing sector, which remains consistent with 2014 figures. The FEP warns, however, that employment ‘is an area where it is difficult to gather reliable data’ and that ‘the entire book value chain (including authors, booksellers, printers, designers, etc.) is estimated to employ more than half a million people’.

 

Category: International news