Publishers have been seeing how their products are being revalued for years. Books not only survive trends but also reach more and more readers, especially the youngest ones, immersed in new phenomena like romantasy, which mixes romantic plots with fantasy elements. Since 2019, sales of imprints have not stopped growing, even during the pandemic, and have registered a cumulative increase of 35% in the last five years, a rise that reaches 45% for young adult audiences alone. This trend has led to sales of over 1.2 billion euros across Spain in 2024, 10% more than in the previous year, not counting textbooks or library orders.
This is a record high for the book sector, remarks Patrici Tixis, president of the Gremi d'Editors de Catalunya. Here, some 840 million euros in turnover are generated, and 35,000 workers are employed, with Catalan imprints representing 70% of the country's total editorial production. As an example, the large publishing houses always talked about, such as Seix Barral, Tusquets, Destino, Lumen, Salamandra, or Bruguera, are headquartered in the Catalan capital, within the Planeta or Penguin groups. But so are independent imprints like Anagrama, Blackie Books, Libros del Asteroide, Acantilado, or Navona.
Awaiting the Christmas campaign, key for the book sector, publishers have seen comics grow again in 2024, with sales 2% higher compared to a year ago. Graphic novels thus recover from years in which their evolution had slowed down, after the expansion they experienced as a result of the pandemic and which became evident in the emergence of new specialized publishers and bookstores. One only has to see the attendance this year at a Manga convention that celebrated its 30th anniversary with a record 167,000 visitors. Fiction and non-fiction also continue to show their strength, representing 70% of the general interest book market and growing 10% in 2024, as well as paperback books, that "wardrobe staple for readers," as Tixis defines them, which are selling more thanks to e-commerce.
The book in Catalan represents 30% of book sales in Catalonia. It has sales peaks on specific dates such as, undoubtedly, Sant Jordi, when the proportion of copies in Catalan sold reaches 50%, which this year meant a turnover of about ten million euros. But buyers are also mobilized during the Setmana del Llibre en Català (Catalan Book Week), with more than 100,000 visitors at the new Arc de Triomf location, 20% more than a year ago. This year, the sector has registered sales of 260 million euros in Catalonia, of which about 80 million euros have been from books written in Catalan. Smaller dimensions, which makes it difficult for phenomena like romantasy to emerge.
Looking ahead to 2025, the Gremi d'Editors (Guild of Editors) expects to maintain the good streak. "Nothing tells us that this trend will break, but it may not continue with this intensity. There are more and more readers, and the book has consolidated itself as a source of cultural entertainment, something that was not happening five years ago," remarks Tixis. The audiovisual sector has contributed to this, being increasingly present at literary fairs to look for plots that can be adapted. These good prospects are clouded by concerns such as the need to regulate artificial intelligence and to fully implement the Generalitat's National Book and Reading Plan, without further delays.
Nit de l'Edició
The Gremi d'Editors de Catalunya (Guild of Editors of Catalonia) celebrates this Tuesday the Nit de l'Edició (Night of Publishing), the annual meeting of the book sector where publishers celebrating their centenary are honored, this year, Editorial Barcino and Editorial Clie. The Planeta group will also be awarded for its 75 years and its more than 1,000 million copies, as well as younger publishers, with 25 years, such as Gemser Publications, Ediciones de Intervención Cultural, El Viejo Topo, Editorial Minúscula and Profit Editorial.
In addition, the ceremony serves to present the Fernando Lara Memorial to a young business initiative in the world of books, which this 2024 goes to the Sendak cooperative bookstore, located on Còrsega street in Barcelona. Finally, the Atlántida Award is given to a personality or entity that stands out for the promotion of books and reading. This year it has gone to paleontologist Juan Luis Arsuaga.