Children's Fiction Drives German Gains
By Holger Ehling -- Publishers Weekly, 7/7/2008 7:15:00 AM
The German book industry – Europe’s largest – had a good 2007, according to figures released by Boersenverein, the German book industry association, last week. Total sales increased 3.4%, to a record €9.58 billion($15 billion). This increase is the highest in the new millennium and compares favorably with the German retail sector in general, which saw growth of 1.7%. Title production was up 1.9%, to a total of 96,479 new titles and new editions, with a total print run of more than 980 million.
The sales increase was spread out among almost all sectors of the publishing industry, with children’s and juvenile fiction jumping 14% due--much like the in the U.S.--to the publication of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Germany once again defended its position as the world’s largest importer of translations – some 6,160 translated titles were published, with 67% of these titles being translated from English.
The book retail sector saw growth of 2.1%, with high street book retailers accounting for 53% of book sales. Concentration in the book retailing sector is accelerating, with the dominant two chains, Thalia and DBH accounting for 20% of total book sales. Online book sales increased 21%, to €850 million and now command a market share of just under 9%.
