Revenues up in 2023

The latest book market report across 16 countries from all continents, generated by GfK entertainment and Nielsen BookData, shows an increase in turnover for the majority of countries. This increase is accompanied by much higher prices and, at the same time, a decreasing number of sold books.

The global book market recorded a rise in revenues in many markets in the first eight months of 2023. According to the 16-country analysis, the gains ranged from single figures in economically strong sales territories such as France (+1.3%) and the UK (+1.8%) to considerable increases in the emerging book markets of India (+8.7%) and Mexico (+10%). Revenues were only down in four countries, including Australia (-1.9%) and South Africa (-0.2%).

Average prices for books increased in the Belgium region of Flanders (+8.7%), South Africa (+7.6%), Brazil (+6.1%) and the UK (+5.7%) most noticeably between January and August 2023, but the actual quantity sold went down in three-quarters of the regions surveyed. Here, too, countries such as India (+6.4% in volume) and Mexico (+4.2% in volume) were the exception. The study also found that fiction largely outperformed non-fiction or "how-to” titles, with fiction books generating a higher revenue growth in 10 of the 16 countries.

In Germany, which was considered separately in the data evaluation based on the half-year figures from Consumer Panel Services GfK, revenues jumped by 5.1% compared to the same period last year. This was mainly due to the 2.6% rise in average prices, which, when taken into account, means actual sales increased by 2.4%.

Travel guides were again in demand in the post-Covid year 2022, and there has been no let-up in this trend. Travel books are booming and are one of the fastest growing categories in 2023. Half of all 16 book markets surveyed even reported double-digit revenue growth for this category. Comic books, especially Manga, on the other hand, have faced a heavy downturn after enjoying a strong performance in recent years, with figures of -10.9% recorded for Spain and -9.1% for Italy.

A glance at the international bestseller lists reveals the growing importance of social media communities like those on BookTok. One of this community’s best-known authors, Colleen Hoover, has made it into the top 5 in ten countries with her bestseller It Ends with Us and its sequel It Starts with Us. Biographies are also very much in demand, especially Prince Harry’s Spare. The memoir from the British prince was among the top five best-selling non-fiction titles in 12 countries in the first eight months of its year of release. In the UK, Ireland, Italy and the Belgian region of Wallonia, Spare was the most popular book overall. Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt by the late Lucinda Riley and her son Harry Whittaker was the most successful title in New Zealand, the Netherlands, and the Belgian region of Flanders.

The survey is based on physical point-of-sale data from January to August 2023 for Australia, Belgium (Flanders/Wallonia), Brazil, France, India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, South Africa, Switzerland and the UK. In the case of Germany, the halfyear data from Consumer Panel Services GfK were used.

In 2023, GfK - a supplier of charts and market research data to the Books, Games, Music, Video and Merchandising industries in over 30 countries - and NIQ - an international consumer intelligence company - merged to become a preeminent consumer intelligence company. As a result, data from both GfK Entertainment, a subsidiary of GfK, and Nielsen BookData, a subsidiary of NIQ, has combined to give an unparalleled view of the global book market.

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