The Italian book market makes an official return to growth after four years of crisis. This is what the numbers say, and not only turnover data. The sector turns its back on the longest period of decline – of sales and readers – that the industry has experienced in the postwar period. The trend today is definitely positive, reaffirmed by the figures both for 2015 and the first half of 2016.
In the meanwhile, the entire scenario has changed. For 2016 too, Transformation remains the key word distinguishing the sector. This is what emerges from the Report on the state of publishing in Italy 2016, edited by the Research department of the Italian Publishers Association (AIE), showing a return, however limited, to plus signs (+0,5% for the overall market in 2015, including non-book products, second-hand and remainders; +0,7% for trade channels, i.e. those aimed at readers: bookshops, online bookstores and large scale retailers). Against this background of slow growth, good performances were recorded by segments involved in children’s publishing (both titles produced, +16.9%, and market share, +7.9%), the digital market and e-books in particular (+21% for e-book titles produced) and exports of rights (+11,7%). In addition there was expansion in readers (+1,2%, 283,000 more people) and titles published (+1.5%).
