Italian book sales up 44% in first half

Trade book sales in Italy have grown 44% in unit sales and 42% in value in the first six months of 2021, according to the Italian Publisher’s Association (AIE).

The figures are based on NielsenIQ data from 4 January to 20 June. According to the data, there were 15 million more copies of printed books sold as compared to the same period in 2020, and 11 million more sold than in the same period in 2019, up 31%. The sales netted a revenue increase of €207 million (A$327.5m) compared to last year, and an increase of €156 million (A$246.8m) compared to 2019, up 28%.

All sales channels—independent, chains and online—and genres experienced growth compared to 2020.

AIE president Ricardo Franco Levi said: ‘The book market is currently like a tide that, as it rises, lifts all the boats with it.’ ‘The results that we are seeing are not at all random,’ Levi said. ‘[It] is from the hard work of publishers and all other players in the book industry who have continued to invest and innovate even throughout the most difficult months of the pandemic, and that is thanks to the government and parliament who safeguarded the sector, primarily by allowing bookstores to reopen during the lockdowns and therefore launching important measures in support of demand, the effects of which are now evident.’

Category: International news