“BookTok and young/new adult titles are currently relevant trends in the book industry. These trends show that books remain or are even growing in demand again among young people,” says Thomas Koch. We spoke with the head of PR at the German Publishers and Booksellers Association about the situation in the book market.
How are books, and printed books in particular, doing in the German and European market? What challenges are publishing houses and the bookselling trade facing?
Thomas Koch: For the overall European market, unfortunately we don’t have any extensive data. For the German market, we can say that books remain relevant, and are able to hold their ground in a difficult overall economic climate. In 2023, industry sales grew by 2.8 percent compared to the previous year, and the first half of 2024 also recorded positive growth (1.2 percent). With a 41.8 percent share of sales, stationary book trade remains the largest sales channel for books, and on-site sales grew by 2.6 percent compared with the previous year. E-books currently make up a 6.1 percent share of sales. Audiobooks are also in demand – but printed books remain by far the most popular among German readers. Despite everything, the economic situation of publishing houses, the bookselling trade and industry logistics is strained. They are facing challenges such as weak spending, inflation, empty downtowns and sustained high costs.
What inspiration came from the Frankfurt Book Fair?
The Frankfurt Book Fair was once again a major platform for discussion, networking and industry business. At the same time, the focus was on important sociopolitical debates and new perspectives on today’s issues. Moreover, a growing enthusiasm for reading among young people was impressive to see at the trade fair: Thousands of book lovers celebrated their favorite books and authors at readings, book signings and at the booths.
What trends are currently shaping the book market?
BookTok and young/new adult titles are currently relevant trends in the book industry. These trends show that books remain or are even growing in demand again among young people. Social media is an important source of momentum for book sales. Around one-third of young people become aware of books on social media. In the group of 16- to 19-year-olds, that number climbs to 38 percent. This growing interest of young audiences is a major opportunity for book shops and publishing houses that adapt to the needs of their customers in terms of their sales approach, assortment and demand management and are also active themselves on social media.
Does this trend have economic implications as well?
Yes, the two groups of fiction and children’s and youth literature are currently growing, recording an increase in sales of +7.7 percent (fiction) and +2.9 percent (children’s and youth literature) in 2023 compared with the previous year. Many of the genres highlighted on BookTok fall into these two groups – into new/young adult, romance or fantasy.
Thomas Koch, Head of PR at the German Publishers and Booksellers Association: “In Germany, the two groups of fiction and children’s and youth literature are currently growing, recording an increase in sales of +7.7 percent (fiction) and +2.9 percent (children’s and youth literature) in 2023 compared with the previous year.”
Are there trends in the design and features (paper, binding, finishing) of books?
In terms of the purchasing behavior of young readers, printed books with special finishing and edge coloring are highly popular.
What role does self-publishing play?
With the options available on the Internet and free or affordable software, self-publishing is considered an easy entry point by a growing number of authors. For unknown authors and newcomers especially, this is often a gateway to public exposure. Currently, only a relatively small portion of self-publishers are truly successful. Some start in self-publishing, and later publish through a classic publishing house. In the future, self-publishing will remain one of the ways to bring out books. But we expect publishing houses to persist as the primary contact for most authors. Due to the growing flood of information especially, publishing houses today are taking on an increasingly important task: qualitative curating of high-quality content. Besides this, several publishing houses also offer self-publishing platforms themselves.
What do you think the future holds for books, and printed books in particular?
Though social media accounts for a majority of people’s budgeted media time, trends like BookTok show us that analog and digital aren’t mutually exclusive, and coming generations in particular are discovering their joy for reading and books remain in demand. A few weeks ago, we experienced this at the Frankfurt Book Fair, in the halls filled with reading enthusiasts of all age groups. One thing that’s clear is that the demand for quality, sound information is increasing in our society. But getting lost in exciting stories will always be one of humanity’s basic needs. At the same time, industry companies continue to face economic challenges and the situation remains tense.