The Gremi d'Editors de Catalunya has made an annual assessment and has pointed to the forecast of sustained growth in the sector, in a year that has had two parts, a first semester of "relevant growth, remarkable coming from a record 2021", and the second with a slowdown due to the economic situation that has been reported, with the rise in prices of raw materials and energy added to the strong general inflation and the rise in interest rates. The union's president, Patrici Tixis, explained that they hope to end the year with 2% growth and a healthy sector given the expectation of uncertainty for 2023.
"We must take into account that since 2019 the sector has grown by 20%," Tixis pointed out at the press conference prior to the Nit de l'Edició. Tixis has also highlighted that 70% of the books are sold in bookstores, "which have great value as a cultural agent", 23% on virtual commerce platforms and 7% are digital books, which include 1% of audiobook, a format with a lot of prospects for growth, "because this is a country with a long tradition of listening to the radio," he pointed out. He recalled that "the production cost of this format is high and growth must be matched to demand", he assured that "work is being done to try to lower costs".
Another important aspect, he said, is the incorporation of young people to reading novels -with a reading rate of 77% of young people compared to 64% overall-, a phenomenon linked especially to social networks such as TikTok and platforms such as Wattpad. . In this growth, he has also recalled the importance of comics and manga, which although they are not having such spectacular growth "is still very relevant", and in Catalan "it is entering and the political will" for it to grow is noticeable.
Regarding the problems that are occurring with the Entredos distribution platform, Tixis has assured that "it is a necessary project and it has to be an important infrastructure, but it still has integration difficulties", although they have assured him that "all the energy is being put into To solve it".
His conclusion is that today "the only certainty is uncertainty", but historically crises come to the sector later: "Books are an expense that the reader finds difficult to give up, because it is a habit", he said.
In the evening, during the 37th Night of the Edition, at the Romea theater, the Atlántida awards will be given to Josep Maria Pou, the Fernando Lara Memorial to the publishing house Flamboyant and the Traducción Àngel Crespo to Pablo Martín Sánchez. In addition, the centenary of the publishing house Salvatella is celebrated, the 75 years of Editorial Reverté, the 50 years of Editorial Base and the Center for Pastoral Litúrgica and the 25 years of Ediciones Cáñamo.
Catalan version, here
