Book price inflation helps publisher sales rise in France

Reserve authors in France reported a modest boost in small sales in 2015, buoyed by an increase of 2.6% in publication prices as a result of continuing rising cost of living, according to the French Publishers Association (Syndicat National de l’édition, SNE).

Sales rose by 1.16%, to EUR2,944.7 m from EUR2,911, in 2022, while the variety of duplicates offered dropped by 1.96%, to 439.7 m from 448.5 m, in 2022. Nevertheless, sales in 2023 climbed by 1.1% and 4.9% after gauging rising cost of living against the pre-pandemic year of 2019, SNE head of state Vincent Montagne said in his content in the SNE’s annual record.

Montagne reiterated his resistance to producing a quasi-salaried standing for authors and warned versus minimizing the reach of the Society Pass for teens, increasing barrel on publications, rewriting history and restricting liberty to publish. Describing the French legislative political elections on 30th June and 7th July, which the reactionary National Rally event is tipped to win, he said: “It is our obligation to oppose (extremism) with utmost resolution”.

The 2nd concern worries generative artificial intelligence and the requirement to “make sure authors’ legal rights are not given up on the altar of technological technology pertained to by some as an unique calculated concern”. The third top priority is to ensure all actors included are compensated on the sale of secondhand publications, a market that is growing “tremendously”, he added.

Montagne, who was chosen for his 7th two-year term in workplace at the SNE’s annual basic conference the other day (Thursday 27th June), informed members that he had three top priorities. One is to finalise a good-practice guide for publisher-author contracts, and to present a device for moderating author conflicts. “In time a law will be required to execute specific terms of our arrangements,” he added.

The number of new titles dropped by 5%, to 36,819 from 38,743, a year earlier and from 37,864 in 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic was at its optimal. This brings the complete decline in new titles to 18% given that 2018, the figures showed. The number of duplicates printed also shrank by 7.5% to 259m in 2023 from 280m in 2022.

Worldwide, French authors included 3.4% to the number of international translation legal rights sales and co-editions. The number of contracts with China, the leading companion for France for a long-time, continued to move.

General literature stayed the marketplace leader in 2014, with sales of EUR627.8 m. In spite of a 4.3% nominal decrease in manga sales, this was adhered to by graphic novels with total turnover of EUR466.8 m. Children’s publications placed 3rd with a sales increase of 1.9% to EUR385.4 m.

The number of brand-new titles dropped by 5%, to 36,819 from 38,743, a year earlier and from 37,864 in 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic was at its height. The number of copies printed also reduced by 7.5% to 259m in 2023 from 280m in 2022.