Physical books are in vogue among Europeans
The European book market is recording strong sales growth this year. According to a market analysis by GfK Entertainment, more and more people are buying physical printed works, especially in Italy.
"Physical books are still very strong in terms of sales, in contrast to the physical music market, which is already being outstripped by streaming. The success of books by well-known YouTubers is particularly interesting. These mainly attract younger target groups, but they still buy physical books. This shows that young readers still value the haptic experience," GfK Entertainment spokesman Hans Schmucker tells the news portal Pressetext.
GfK Entertainment has analyzed sales of physical books in the seven European countries of Italy, France, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Sales increased in all countries except Belgium in the first three quarters of 2019. In Italy, sales increased by 4.6 percent, followed by Portugal (4.5 percent) and the Netherlands (3.5 percent). Non-fiction books in particular accounted for a large proportion of the increased sales.
Celebrities popular books
Favorites among European readers are mainly books by celebrities, such as "Passions" by France's ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy. A bestseller in Italy and France is "Becoming," the biography of ex-U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama.
In addition, life advice books and historical nonfiction are very popular. Books by local authors are particularly popular with European readers, while international bestsellers are rare at present. (pte)
