Literature / The Publishing Industry of Catalonia
Catalonia's publishing sector is a mature, dynamic and competitive sector which comprises one of the most significant assets of Catalan culture and economy, as well as occupying a leadership position in the overall Spanish market. With a long tradition and a very significant volume of business maintained throughout the years, publishing – and all the business fabric that surrounds it – is, by far, the country's most potent cultural industry, and represents a valuable heritage which places Catalonia's publishing businesses amongst the most prestigious internationally.
The number of titles published in 2005 saw an increase compared to the previous year of 5.0% for overall production and, more specifically, 7.0% for production in Catalan. Titles published in Catalan account for 27.9% of the total, with an average over the last 5 years of 29.6%.
PUBLISHING PRODUCTION
Year |
Titles |
% increase on 2001 |
% interannual increase |
Titles |
% increase on 2001 |
% interannual increase |
Catalan / Total |
2001 |
25,628 |
- |
- |
8,015 |
- |
- |
31.3 |
2002 |
26,214 |
2.3 |
2.3 |
8,183 |
2.1 |
2.1 |
31.2 |
2003 |
27,788 |
8.4 |
6.0 |
8,386 |
4.6 |
2.5 |
30.2 |
2004 |
29,259 |
14.2 |
5.3 |
8,016 |
0.0 |
-4.4 |
27.4 |
2005 |
30,710 |
19.8 |
5.0 |
8,577 |
7.0 |
7.0 |
27.9 |
Average 2001-2005 |
27,920 |
|
4.6 |
8,235 |
|
1.8 |
29.6 |
Catalan // Other languages Source: Gremi d’Editors de Catalunya
The number of copies printed also showed a positive evolution, with growth figures in the region of 6.9% of the total and 6.2% for titles in Catalan.
COPIES PRINTED
Year |
Copies |
% increase on 2001 |
% inter-annual increase |
Titles |
% increase on 2001 |
% inter- annual increase |
Catalan / Total |
2001 |
107,934,638 |
- |
- |
23,143,154 |
- |
- |
21.4 |
2002 |
113,338,968 |
5.0 |
5.0 |
24,225.730 |
4.7 |
4.7 |
21.4 |
2003 |
127,599,029 |
18.2 |
12.6 |
22,937,314 |
-0.9 |
-5.3 |
18.0 |
2004 |
155,338,441 |
43.9 |
21.7 |
23,597,484 |
2.0 |
2.9 |
15.2 |
2005 |
165,987,280 |
53.8 |
6.9 |
25,055,808 |
8.3 |
6.2 |
15.1 |
Average 2001-2005 |
134,039,671 |
|
11.5 |
23.791.898 |
|
2.1 |
18.2 |
Catalan // Other languages Source: Gremi d’Editors de Catalunya
Evolution of titles, copies and average number printed (2001-2005)
Total titles: 25,628 26,214 27,788 29,259 30,710
Catalan 
Other languages
Total copies (x 1,000):
107,935 113,339 127,599 155,338 165,987
Catalan Other languages
Source: Gremi d’Editors de Catalunya
CATALOGUED TITLES
During 2005, the 136,556 titles in print showed an increase of 5.8% on the previous year, making the average growth over the last 4 years 2.9%.
The pool of catalogued titles in Catalan, around 47,455 titles, showed an increase on 2004 of 2.2%, with average growth over the last 4 years of 1.2%. A ratio of 5.5 titles in print in Catalan was recorded for every title published, setting the ratio for the total pool at 4.4. Just over one third of the total titles, 34.8%, are in Catalan.
TURNOVER IN 2005
Total turnover amounts to 1,569.31 million euros, remaining almost exactly the same as the previous year, although this figure is 8.6% up on 2001.
Sales in Catalan are 235.62 million euros, a figure which is very similar to that for the previous year. Turnover in Catalan accounts for 15.0% of total sales.
Total turnover and turnover in Catalan (2001-2005)
Total turnover:
1,445.67 1,426.22 13,583.66 1,555.70 1,569.31
Catalan Other languages
Source: Gremi d’Editors de Catalunya
COMPARISON OF THE FIGURES FOR CATALONIA WITH THOSE OF SPAIN
Private and associated publishers in Catalonia contribute the following to Spanish domestic trade:
• 260 of the 724 unionised publishers (35.9%)
• 6,393 employees from a total of 14,619 (43.7%)
• 30,710 titles published against the 69,598 published overall in Spain (44.1%)
• 165,987,280 copies printed compared with the 321,469,155 printed in Spain (51.6%)
• 136,556 catalogued titles from a total of 325,808 (41.9%)
• 1,569.31 million euros turnover, 53.5% of the total figure obtained (2,933.23 million euros).
• 114,423,220 copies sold, 49.6% of the total number of copies sold in Spain (230,626,086)
PUBLICATION IN CATALAN
Publication in Catalan in 2005 is defined by the following figures:
• 151 publishing houses.
• Publication of 8,577 titles, with an increase compared to 2004 of 7.0%. Titles in Catalan account for 27.9% of the titles published by unionised Catalan publishers.
• Production of 25.1 million copies (increase of 6.2% compared to the previous year), accounting for 15.1% of total production.
• An average of 2,921 copies printed.
• Three types of texts (Non-university texts, texts for Children and Young People and Literature texts) account for 77.8% of titles and 85.6% of copies.
• 47,455 catalogued titles, 2.2% more than the previous year. Titles in print in Catalan account for 34.8% of the total titles produced by Catalan publishing houses.
• Sales amounts to 235.62 million euros, which is very similar to the figure for the previous year. It is 15.0% of the total turnover.
• 40.7% of sales are channelled through bookshops. Of the remaining channels, bookstore chains (15.2%), companies and institutions (15.2%) and credit card sales / telesales (11.2%) are those which most stand out.
• 18.3 million copies were sold (7.9% less than the previous year), at an average price of 12.9 euros.
FOREIGN TRADE (2005)
BOOK CHAMBER OF CATALONIA |
||||||
EXPORTS ACCUMULATED AT DECEMBER 2005 AND VARIATIONS COMPARED TO THE SAME PERIOD IN 2004 |
||||||
FIGURES EXPRESSED IN EUROS |
||||||
GROUP OF COUNTRIES |
PERIOD |
BOOKS |
MAGAZINES |
VARIOUS |
TOTAL |
% |
EUROPEAN UNION |
CURRENT YEAR |
70,630,115.05 |
39,813,427.45 |
15,777,137.81 |
126,220,680.31 |
|
PREVIOUS YEAR |
78,189,385.89 |
37,809,204.80 |
1,777,546.13 |
117,776,136.82 |
||
DIFFERENCE |
-7,559,270.84 |
2,004,222.65 |
13,999,591.68 |
8,444,543.49 |
7.17% |
|
|
-9.67% |
5.30% |
787.58% |
|
|
|
REST OF EUROPE |
CURRENT YEAR |
1,719,852.19 |
262,122.53 |
87,161.82 |
2,069,136.54 |
|
PREVIOUS YEAR |
2,513,323.15 |
439,158.09 |
79,522.60 |
3,032,003.84 |
||
DIFFERENCE |
-793,470.96 |
-177,035.56 |
7,639.22 |
-962,867.30 |
-31.76% |
|
|
-31.57% |
-40.31% |
9.61% |
|
|
|
LATIN AMERICA |
CURRENT YEAR |
82,332,019.98 |
2,018,567.79 |
1,505,803.39 |
85,856,391.16 |
|
PREVIOUS YEAR |
83,202,198.06 |
2,143,917.82 |
1,338,681.80 |
86,684,797.68 |
||
DIFFERENCE |
-870,178.08 |
-125,350.03 |
167,121.59 |
-828,406.52 |
-0.96% |
|
|
-1.05% |
-5.85% |
12.48% |
|
|
|
USA
AND |
CURRENT YEAR |
11,000,604.32 |
774,952.81 |
771,761.43 |
12,547,318.56 |
|
PREVIOUS YEAR |
12,394,676.51 |
828,049.34 |
509,440.96 |
13,732,166.81 |
||
DIFFERENCE |
-1,394,072.19 |
-53,096.53 |
262,320.47 |
-1,184,848.25 |
-8.63% |
|
|
-11.25% |
-6.41% |
51.49% |
|
|
|
REST |
CURRENT YEAR |
1,857,920.04 |
359,474.63 |
192,356.81 |
2,409,751.48 |
|
PREVIOUS YEAR |
2,568,258.44 |
362,707.54 |
76,912.01 |
3,007,877.99 |
||
DIFFERENCE |
-710,338.40 |
-3,232.91 |
115,444.80 |
-598,126.51 |
-19.89% |
|
|
-27.66% |
-0.89% |
150.10% |
|
|
|
GRAND |
CURRENT YEAR |
167,540,511.58 |
43,228,545.21 |
18,334,221.26 |
229,103,278.05 |
|
PREVIOUS YEAR |
178,867,842.05 |
41,583,037.59 |
3,782,103.50 |
224,232,983.14 |
||
DIFFERENCE |
-11,327,330.47 |
1,645,507.62 |
14,552,117.76 |
4,870,294.91 |
2.17% |
|
|
-6.33% |
3.96% |
384.76 |
|
|
|
In recent years, the book sector has successfully faced growing competition from other means of information and knowledge communication. Notwithstanding this challenge, the rich panorama and multiform of Catalan publishing allows it to continue leading the transformation processes which the sector is undergoing.
In this sense, the business dynamic of the centralization and circulation processes makes itself heard within the Catalan publishing sector, and it has clearly positive effects on Catalonia's positioning in the international markets. But it coexists with a creative effervescence which leads to the constant appearance of very specialist small publishers or those with independent talent, which are often focused on more marginal subject matters or sectors in terms of their turnover but with a very faithful readership; or that are dedicated to new forms of publishing, distribution and marketing that have arisen from the increasing technical nature of the sector.
From this perspective, it is undeniable that the growing impact of new technologies has meant a progressive diversification in production and the appearance of publishers who use IT resources and the democratization of technology to publish books with, for example, reduced circulation. In fact, the investment undertaken in recent years in order to have a presence in the new technologies has been noticeable as much on an individual level as that of associations or corporations representative of the Catalan publishers.
Also worth noting is the tendency towards an internationalisation of the Catalan publishing companies, often through their entrance into new markets in other countries. For most Catalan publishers, especially those which publish in languages other than Catalan, the export of their production and presence in the international markets is a substantial part of their overall turnover, and this factor is key in explaining the massive attendance at international book and publishing fairs and markets.
