Surprise. In Spain, beyond what certain influencers say, people are reading more than ever. Who was going to think about it? In a world full of endless feeds, the editorial industry is about to reach a billing record: more than 3,100 million euros. Such fact was not seen for a long time and comes from the hand of an increase in the number of specimens sold. The most striking thing is that it is the youngest who are pulling the car. “In constant euros it means that we have taken almost 15 years to return to those levels,” explains Daniel Fernández, president of the Federation of Guilds of Editors of Spain (FGEE), which together with IFEMA Madrid organizes the International Book Fair (Liber), the largest business platform in the country dedicated to the Spanish edition. The 2008 recession was a financial and consumer crisis, which in the case of the book was aggravated by the change of cultural habits: the arrival of the ebook, the rise of piracy and the emergence of content platforms. «The internal market lost almost a third of its turnover in just two years, practically from one year to another,» says Fernández. But the sector did not give up. As of 2012, a sustained recovery began that lasts more than a decade. «The business figures grew again and, even if it is hard to say, the pandemic helped us,» says the guild representative. Paradoxically, in traditionally readers, such as the United Kingdom, reading levels have fallen slightly, while Spain and Portugal stand out with growth. «There is even talk of the Spanish phenomenon,» says Fernández. The latest reading habits study shows that young people between 14 and 24 years are the strip that reads the most, where 75% declares to do it for pleasure, not by academic obligation. Liber is a sample of this success. This edition, the number 43, will gather from October 7 to 9 more than 500 international professionals within the framework of its buyers and prescribers of priority interest, conducted in collaboration with Spanish cultural action (AC/E). With the collaboration of the economic and commercial offices of Spain and Icex, the visit of booksellers, distributors, importers and institutional buyers from 63 countries will be facilitated. For its part, the priority interest prescribers program will bring together librarians, responsible for institutional acquisitions, editors, teachers and other strategic profiles.
Purchase of rights
In addition, as a great novelty, it is incorporated into the guest program for literary agents and international editors interested in the sale of rights. This call is aimed at professionals from key countries such as Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Japan, Brazil and the United States, among others. «We have created a living room, following the Frankfurt or London model, with tables to facilitate the sale of rights, without the need for stands. It is an important step in the publishing market,» says Fernández. On this occasion, Chile will be, for the second time, the guest country of honor. This represents a new opportunity to know the strength of the Literature of the Latin American Nation, which has given some of the great figures of literary creation in Spanish: Gabriela Mistral, Isabel Allende, Pablo Neruda and Vicente Huidobro, among many others. «Chile lives a special moment: its government is committed to strengthening the editorial industry and its literature,» says Fernández. «Last year’s fair already actively participated in its ambassador and a relevant delegation. So it was logical that this year they were guest country,» he says. Although the country in South America is far from the figures that Mexico have (with 63.6 million euros in exports), France (62.3 million euros), Argentina (with 31.5 million euros), Italy (23 million euros) and the United Kingdom (18.9 million euros), according to FGEE data. The bet of the Spanish industry extends throughout the world, but it is in Latin America where it has found a territory with high growth potential. «There we have outstanding subsidiaries and positions, which allows us to address a global upward market, with greater literacy and access to culture,» says Fernández. «This is also seen by the large multinational groups, which have decidedly opted for the market in Spanish,» he adds. Beyond the business, Liber (that every year alternates its headquarters between Madrid and Barcelona) recognizes people who give life to this sector: authors, booksellers, scriptwriters and the disseminators of literature. This year, Rosa Montero will be awarded the Liber 2025 Award due to her professional career and her commitment to literature. «Montero has always been a figure close to the reader, who has managed to transfer the literary scope to become an essential voice of public opinion, always defending the value of culture and literature as tools for social development,» they explain from Ifema Madrid. The Best Audiovisual Adaptation Award of a literary work will be for the film Pedro Páramo, directed by Mexican Rodrigo Prieto, with a script by Spanish Mateo Gil and produced by Redrum and Woo Films, issued by Netflix. The Boixareu Ginesta Award to the Libker of the Year will be awarded to the Serendipia Library of Ciudad Real, and the Liber Award for the Promotion of Reading to Libraries open to the public to the Jaume Fuster Library, in Barcelona. The delivery ceremony will take place on October 8 and there will pay tribute to Africa Ramírez, president of the Association of Editorials of the Valencian Community, for its commitment to the sector in that region. The organizers hope that throughout these days some 12,000 attendees meet around this business.
