Report on publishing in Italy 2013

2012 was an annus horribilis for the sector, with an overall final result only apparently less negative than the remarkable minus sign indicated by Nielsen for sales in trade channels (those addressed to general public, -7.8%). Such result is actually much worse and reaches -8.4% if from the overall perimeter of the book market non-book (less and less made of stationery and more and more of gadgets) and remainders are excluded – as is by now necessary. The e-book market doubled and the hierarchies of sale channels started to change – with on line sales booming and traditional book stores losing ground - , reading in Italy gained ground (even though only slightly), export decreased. These are the main elements that outline the publishing market of 2012 and the first months of 2013, as emerges from the Report on the state of publishing in Italy 2013 by the Research department of Associazione Italiana Editori (AIE), from this year available solely in e-book format in the main platforms.