booksellers
The opening remarks at the seventh Forum Editing, hosted by Gremi d’Editors and Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, highlight a hopeful view for the books sector amid the disruptions of the Ukraine war, inflation, and energy prices. Patrici Tixis, president of Gremi d’Editors of Catalonia, notes that the publishing world is adapting, with comics, manga, and picture books showing strong growth. Ignacio López, head of Market Intelligence at GfK, reinforces this sentiment, presenting data that frame the industry as living through a period of resilience and potential expansion (GfK, 2022).
According to López, the publishing industry registered a 5.6 percent rise in 2021 and maintained momentum into 2022. By mid-2022, sales reached 501 million euros, surpassing performance in many other European markets and approaching Europe’s strongest annual figures. While July was stable, physical book sales faced some pressure in August. Yet the forecast remained cautiously optimistic: year-end results could surpass one billion euros, with a potential peak that could challenge 1.1 billion euros if current trends hold (GfK, 2022).
Inflation, López notes, has not yet driven higher prices on average, with the typical book price around 15.37 euros and sales continuing to exceed 2019 levels. He observes a 25% growth in certain segments, while Japanese comics are seen as a gateway to engage younger readers. Children’s and youth literature rose around 4%, fiction about 3%, and non-fiction fell roughly 1% (GfK, 2022).
distribution channels
Retail networks are contributing to growth. Bookshops account for about 42% of Spain’s total book sales in the first half of 2022, up from 40% in 2021 and well ahead of 2014 levels. Shopping centers and chains still dominate with roughly half of all sales, while online channels represent about 30% in the first half of 2022, a slight decline from 2021 but still higher than 2019 levels. GfK emphasizes the importance of bookstores and urges continued innovation in the sector, noting a 200 million euro turnover in the first half of 2022 and a trajectory approaching the 2011 peak (GfK, 2022).
In Catalonia, bookstores hold a fundamental and distinctive role in book purchasing, capturing around 22% of total sales in the first half of 2022, with stores contributing the majority of sales at around 55% and remaining the most important channel to defend (GfK, 2022).
Sant Jordi and regional performance
New data on Sant Jordi reveal that 2022 figures did not beat the historical surge of 2021, but still showed strong activity. The week generated close to 42.9 million euros, a 26% rise over 2019 levels and well above the 2021 milestone of 46.1 million euros. Fiction, particularly crime and adventure novels, led sales, while Catalan-language books accounted for about 40% of week’s sales. The festival’s impact on Catalonia’s overall market remains significant, contributing nearly half of Spain’s total sales during the week and underscoring the importance of promotion programs and linguistic diversity (GfK, 2022).
Madrid and regional contrasts
Comparisons with Madrid show different dynamics. Madrid represents about 23% of book purchases, sharing a similar weight with Catalonia at 22%. Distribution in Madrid tilts toward large department stores and chains, which account for roughly 64% of sales, while bookstores contribute around 30%. The genres showing strength in Madrid differ, with more non-fiction sold there than fiction. The Madrid Book Fair’s three-week period contributed about 26% of sales, not matching Sant Jordi’s week in Catalonia (GfK, 2022).
online presence and the future reader
The market intelligence lead at GfK frames the internet as a companion to publishing rather than a threat. Digital activity encompasses e-books, online searches, blogs, networks, and discussions about literature. Before the pandemic, Spain’s daily digital time spent on reading-related activities averaged 165 minutes; during the pandemic it rose to 208 and has since settled around 184 minutes. Approximately 29% of the population engages with internet content related to books and literature, roughly 11 million people. Younger audiences are a crucial focus for future growth, while older demographics remain highly engaged with online exploration (GfK, 2022).
Across age groups, research suggests a strategic emphasis on cultivating reading habits early, with a keen eye on how the online environment shapes preferences and discovery paths. The insights underline the need for publishers, retailers, and libraries to coordinate on both in-store experiences and digital outreach to sustain momentum in a changing landscape (GfK, 2022).
Overall, the forum’s conversations underline a publishing ecosystem adapting to economic pressure while leveraging strong regional markets, cultural vitality, and a growing digital footprint to sustain growth in comics, manga, and picture books across Spain and beyond. The mood is cautiously optimistic, driven by data that highlights resilience, opportunity in shared reading experiences, and the ongoing diversification of distribution and content formats (GfK, 2022).