French publishing sales up in 2016

French publishing sales rose in 2016 by 4.25% to €2.8bn (A$4.16bn) according to figures from the French Publishers Association (Syndicat National de l’Edition, SNE), reports the Bookseller.

Sales by volume also rose 4.11% to 434.5 million from 417.3 million in 2015.

The figures were boosted by major changes in the French school curriculum, without which sales would have increased 0.11% in value and 2.5% in volume.

Paperback sales rose 8% in volume and 5 % in value, while digital sales continued to grow on the back of academic and professional publishing, accounting for 8.65% of the market at €234m (A$347m). Royalty payments rose from €449m ($A666m) in 2015 to €468m (A$694m) in 2016.

Rights sales, which accounted for 5% of publishers’ net revenues, decreased in 2016 by 0.41% to €132m (A$196m) in 2016.

In a comment to the Bookseller, SNE president Vincent Montagne called for a French book tracking system to be put in place to better reflect statistics in tough times. ‘The economic equation is increasingly difficult’, said Montagne. ‘Sales are stable, but the number of titles published and royalty payments are rising, and books’ shelf life is shortening. This means that everyone’s margins are shrinking.’

Category: International news