Federation of European Publishers

European Book Publishing Statistics 2024

fep-fee admin — 2025-12-08T15:54:40Z

21 November 2025

The Federation of European Publishers (FEP) represents 31 national associations of publishers of books, learned journals and educational materials, in all formats, in Europe. The present survey is based on reports from the national book publishing associations and on further analysis and refining of data for the year 2024. Since 2019, the survey has been based on a new questionnaire, which in the short term will entail limited comparability with some older data.

The main figures on the overall economic significance of the publishing industry refer to net publishers' turnover, i.e. the publishers' total revenues from the sales of books, not the total market for books (margin of booksellers or other retailers) – which is estimated separately. They also do not account for revenues in terms of selling rights for translation, audiovisual adaptation, etc. In some cases, only data on market value was available; in such cases, average discount rates were applied to calculate an approximation of net turnover. Figures were rounded conservatively.

The total annual sales revenue of book publishers in Europe in 2024 was approximately € 24.9 billion, according to the survey conducted by FEP. This represents a small increase from 2023 (about 2.2%), the result of mixed outcomes across countries. The largest markets in terms of publishers' turnover were Germany, the UK, France, Spain and Italy. While total turnover is at its highest level ever, this is only in nominal terms: considering inflation, there has been a loss of turnover in the same period of more than 30%. Total market value is estimated at € 36.1 billion (from sales of European publishers' books), for a total consumer expenditure of some 37-39 billion €. For the first time, FEP has built a time series with data on book sales in units; the estimate for 2024 is of around 2.5 billion copies sold. However, the trend in the last few years shows a decrease in sales in volume.

A total of about 580,000 new titles were issued by publishers in 2024, a small decrease from 2023, also the result of different situations in each country. The figure was taken from different sources, some of which included new editions or non-commercial titles, and was rounded conservatively. European publishers held about 14.3 million different titles in stock (some 3.4 million in digital format), the countries reporting the largest availability being the UK, Germany, Italy, France and Spain; this figure has been spiked by the surge in digital publishing, the digitisation of back catalogues, the growth of print-on-demand services and the surge in self-published titles, as well as other phenomena. The countries reporting the largest new titles output were the UK, Germany, Spain, Italy and France.

Employment remains an area where it is difficult to gather reliable data. The entire book value chain (including authors, booksellers, printers, designers, etc.) is estimated to employ more than half a million people.

Looking at longer-term trends, up to 2007, there was steady growth both in revenues and titles. The 2008 economic crisis had less of an impact on publishing when compared to most other sectors, but revenues decreased or stagnated until 2014. After 2010, the ebook market grew fast, and exports performed well. After a pause in 2018, the positive trend resumed in 2019. 2020, the year for the pandemic, saw first a very negative impact of the health crisis, but closed with a result only moderately negative, albeit as the result of many different situations and factors. The pandemic also pushed digital sales up. 2021, while witnessing an impressive – though uneven – recovery, was also the year in which a paper crisis began. In 2022-24, turnover grew overall, but at a much slower pace and driven by prices, with the impact of the paper crisis and geopolitical instability being felt. The ebook market (now around 13% of the total) showed signs of stagnation for the 5 years before Covid (but it could be a matter of capturing the right data), whereas audiobook sales exploded in 2019, giving new impetus to digital sales; they reached 4.2% of the total in 2024 (but the figure is largely underestimated).

For further information: Enrico Turrin, +32 2 776 84 64 - eturrin(a)fep-fee.eu

PDF version

Presentation "European Book Market Statistics 2024-25" at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2025

fep-fee admin — 2025-10-17T09:22:52Z

The Federation of European Publishers (FEP) presented the European Book Market Statistics 2024–25 on 15 October during the Frankfurt Book Fair (Frankfurter Buchmesse), one of the most important global gatherings for the publishing industry.

First launched at the Fair in 2022, the annual FEP book market presentation has quickly become one of the highlights at the Fair for publishing professionals, drawing growing international attention from the book sector and beyond.

The European book market statistics have been presented by FEP Deputy Director Enrico Turrin, with introductory remarks by FEP Vice-President Phaedon Kidoniatis. Over 200 people have attended the event.

Key Highlights from the 2024-25 European Book Market Statistics

Turnover: The European book market reached its highest-ever nominal turnover in 2024 at €24.9 billion, surpassing the previous 2007 peak. However, inflation-adjusted figures tell a different story, with real turnover down to €15.5 billion, compared to €22.2 billion in 2007.
Price and inflation gap: Book prices have risen only 38.3% over the past 20 years, far below general inflation (64.1%), putting sustained pressure on publisher margins.
Turnover by format: Print books still dominate (82.9% of total turnover), but audiobooks are the fastest-growing segment, reaching 4.2% of sales in 2024.
Turnover by distribution channel: Physical bookstores account for 48.2% of turnover; online book sales decreased to 23.5%.
Turnover by destination: Book exports increased to 20.3%, though still below pre-2015 levels.

The FEP report on the European book market also highlighted a worrying trend in reading engagement:

47.2% of Europeans aged 16 and over are non-readers (source: Eurostat).
The main reason is lack of interest, not affordability.

Where to find the presentation of the European Book Market Statistics 2024-25

The full presentation is available in PDF format below. The recording of the session is available on the Frankfurter Buchmesse media library.

For further information, contact eturrin(a)fep-fee.eu.

European Book Publishing Statistics 2023

fep-fee admin — 2024-11-13T16:50:53Z

13 November 2024

The Federation of European Publishers (FEP) represents 30 national associations of publishers of books, learned journals and educational materials, in all formats, in Europe. The present survey is based on reports from the national book publishing associations, and on further analysis and refining of data, for the year 2022. Since 2019, the survey is based on a new questionnaire, which in the short term will entail limited comparability with some older data and a greater degree of uncertainty on some figures, but that in the long term will ensure the information is both clearer and more relevant.

Figures on the overall economic significance of the publishing industry refer to net publishers' turnover, i.e. the publishers' total revenues from the sales of books, not the total market for books (margin of booksellers or other retailers). They also do not account for revenues in terms of selling rights for translation, audiovisual adaptation, etc. In some cases, only data on market value was available; in such cases, average discount rates were applied to calculate an approximation of net turnover. Figures were rounded conservatively.

The total annual sales revenue of book publishers in Europe in 2023 was approximately € 24.4 billion, according to the survey conducted by FEP. This represents a small increase from 2022 (23.9), the result of mixed outcomes across countries. The largest markets in terms of publishers' turnover were Germany, the UK, France, Italy and Spain. While total turnover is back to the peak level of 2007, this is only in nominal terms: considering inflation, there has been a loss of turnover in the same period of more than 30%. The total market value is estimated at € 35.3 billion (from sales of European publishers' books), for a total consumer expenditure of some 36-39 billion €.

A total of about 585,000 new titles were issued by publishers in 2023, a small increase on 2022, also the result of different situations in each country. The figure was taken from different sources, some of which included new editions or non-commercial titles, and was rounded conservatively. European publishers held about 14 million different titles in stock (some 3.3 million in digital format), the countries reporting the largest availability being the UK, Germany, Italy, France and Spain; this figure has been spiked by the surge in digital publishing, the digitisation of back catalogues, the growth of print-on-demand services and the surge in self-published titles, as well as other phenomena. The countries reporting the largest new titles output were the UK, Germany, Spain, Italy and France.

Looking at longer-term trends, up to 2007 there was steady growth both in revenues and titles. The 2008 economic crisis had less of an impact on publishing when compared to most other sectors, but revenues still mostly decreased or stagnated until 2014. After 2010, the ebook market grew fast and exports performed well, becoming even stronger from 2015 to 2017. If 2018 marked a trend reversal in the recovery process started in 2015, 2019 confirmed the positive trend. 2020, the year of the pandemic, saw first a very negative impact of the health crisis, but closed with a result only moderately negative, albeit this was the result of many different situations and factors. The pandemic also pushed digital sales up. 2021, while witnessing an impressive – though uneven – recovery, was also the year in which a paper crisis began. In 2022-23, turnover grew overall, but at a much slower pace and driven by prices, with the impact of the paper crisis and geopolitical instability being felt. The ebook market (now around 13% of the total) showed signs of stagnation for the 5 years before Covid (but it could be a matter of capturing the right data), whereas audiobook sales exploded in 2019, giving new impetus to digital sales; they reached 3.5% of the total in 2023 (but the figure is largely underestimated).

For further information: Enrico Turrin, +32 2 776 84 64 - eturrin@fep-fee.eu

PDF version

European Book Publishing Statistics 2022

fep-fee admin — 2024-01-08T12:28:54Z

8 January 2024

The Federation of European Publishers (FEP) represents 29 national associations of publishers of books, learned journals and educational materials, in all formats, in Europe. The present survey is based on reports from the national book publishing associations, and on further analysis and refining of data, for the year 2022. As of 2019, the survey is based on a new questionnaire, which in the short term will entail limited comparability with some older data and a greater degree of uncertainty regarding some of the figures, but that in the long term will ensure the information is both clearer and more relevant.

The total annual sales revenue of book publishers of the EU and the EEA in 2022 was approximately € 23.9 billion, according to the survey conducted by FEP. This represents a small increase from 2021 (23.6), the result of mixed outcomes across countries. The largest markets in terms of publishers' turnover were Germany, the UK, France, Italy and Spain. Total market value is estimated at 36-38 billion €.

A total of about 575,000 new titles were issued by publishers in 2022, about the same as in 2021, possibly due to an attempt at rationalising title production and to competitive pressures. The figure was taken from different sources, some of which included new editions or non-commercial titles, and was rounded conservatively. European publishers held about 13.8 million different titles in stock (some 3.2 million in digital format), the countries reporting the largest availability being the UK, Germany, Italy, France and Spain; this figure has been spiked by the surge in digital publishing (in different formats), the digitisation of back catalogues, the growth of print-on-demand services and the surge in self-published titles, as well as other phenomena. The countries reporting the largest new titles output were the UK, Germany, Spain, Italy and France.

Looking at longer term trends, up to 2007 there was steady growth both in revenues and titles. The 2008 economic crisis had less of an impact on publishing when compared to most other sectors, but revenues still mostly decreased or stagnated until 2014. After 2010, the ebook market grew fast and exports performed well, becoming even stronger from 2015 to 2017. If 2018 marked a trend reversal in the recovery process started in 2015, 2019 confirmed the positive trend. 2020, the year for the pandemic, saw first a very negative impact of the health crisis, but closed with a result only moderately negative, albeit this was the result of many different situations and factors. The pandemic also pushed digital sales up. 2021, while witnessing an impressive – though uneven – recovery, was also the year in which a paper crisis began. In 2022, the market grew overall, but at a much slower pace, with the impact of the paper crisis and geopolitical instability being felt. The ebook market (now around 13% of the total) showed signs of stagnation for the 5 years before Covid (but it could be a matter of capturing the right data), whereas audio book sales exploded in 2019, giving new impetus to digital sales; they passed 3% of the total in 2022.

For further information: Enrico Turrin, +32 2 776 84 64 - eturrin@fep-fee.eu

Pdf version:

European Book Publishing Statistics 2021

fep-fee admin — 2022-12-07T08:09:11Z

7 December 2022

The Federation of European Publishers (FEP) represents 29 national associations of publishers from the European Union and the European Economic Area Member States. The present survey is based on reports from the national book publishing associations, and on further analysis and refining of data, for the year 2021. As of 2019, the survey is based on a new questionnaire, which in the short term will entail limited comparability with some older data and a greater degree of uncertainty regarding some of the figures, but that in the long term will ensure the information is both clearer and more relevant.

The total annual sales revenue of book publishers of the EU and the EEA in 2021 was approximately € 23.6 billion, according to the survey conducted by FEP. This represents a significant increase from 2020 (22.2), marking a strong rebound – albeit uneven across countries and sectors – after the Covid-19 pandemic. The largest markets in terms of publishers' turnover were Germany, the UK, France, Spain and Italy. Total market value is estimated at 36-38 billion €.

A total of about 575,000 new titles were issued by publishers in 2021, a decrease compared to 2020, mostly due to the reduction of activity caused by the pandemic, and possibly to an attempt at rationalising title production. The figure was taken from different sources, some of which included new editions or non-commercial titles, and was rounded conservatively. European publishers held about 13.4 million different titles in stock (some 3 million in digital format), the countries reporting the largest availability being the UK, Germany, Italy, France and Spain; this figure has been spiked by the surge in digital publishing (in different formats), the digitisation of back catalogues, the growth of print-on-demand services and the surge in self-published titles, as well as other phenomena. The countries reporting the largest new titles output were the UK, Germany, Spain, Italy and France.

Looking at longer term trends, up to 2007 there was steady growth both in revenues and titles. The 2008 economic crisis had less of an impact on publishing when compared to most other sectors, but revenues still mostly decreased or stagnated until 2014. After 2010, the ebook market grew fast and exports performed well, becoming even stronger from 2015 to 2017. If 2018 marked a trend reversal in the recovery process started in 2015, 2019 confirmed the positive trend. 2020, the year of the pandemic, saw first a very negative impact of the health crisis but closed with a result only moderately negative, albeit this was the result of many different situations, related to geography, formats, channels and type of operators. The ebook market (now around 12% of the total) showed signs of stagnation for the 5 years before Covid (but it could be a matter of capturing the right data), whereas audio book sales exploded in 2019, giving new impetus to digital sales. The pandemic also pushed digital sales up. 2021, while witnessing an impressive – though uneven – recovery, was also the year in which a paper crisis began that will have an impact on the sector for the years to come.

For further information : Enrico Turrin, +32 2 776 84 64 - eturrin@fep-fee.eu

European Book Publishing Statistics 2020

fep-fee admin — 2022-05-13T08:16:51Z

13 May 2022

The Federation of European Publishers (FEP) represents 29 national associations of publishers from the European Union and the European Economic Area Member States. The present survey is based on reports from the national book publishing associations, and on further analysis and refining of data, for the year 2020. As of 2019, the survey is based on a new questionnaire, which in the short term will entail limited comparability with some older data and a greater degree of uncertainty regarding some of the figures, but that in the long term will ensure the information is both clearer and more relevant.

The total annual sales revenue of book publishers of the EU and the EEA in 2020 was approximately € 22.2 billion, according to the survey conducted by FEP. This represents a modest decrease from 2019 (22.4), especially since 2020 was characterised by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. The largest markets in terms of publishers' turnover were Germany, the UK, France, Spain and Italy. Total market value is estimated at 36-38 billion €.

A total of about 595,000 new titles were issued by publishers in 2020, a decrease compared to 2019, mostly due to the reduction of activity caused by the pandemic. The figure was taken from different sources, some of which included new editions or non-commercial titles, and was accordingly rounded conservatively. European publishers held more than 13.1 million different titles in stock (some 2.5 to 3 million in digital format), the countries reporting the largest availability being the UK, Germany, Italy, France and Spain; this figure, ever-increasing, has been spiked by the surge in digital publishing (in different formats), the digitisation of back catalogues, the growth of print-on-demand services and the surge in self-published titles, as well as other phenomena. The countries reporting the largest new titles output were the UK, Germany, Spain, Italy and France.

A total of approximately 130,000 people were employed full time in book publishing in 2020, a figure substantially equal to the previous year. This remains an area where it is difficult to gather reliable data. The entire book value chain (including authors, booksellers, printers, designers, etc.) is estimated to employ more than half a million people.

Looking at longer term trends, up to 2007 there was steady growth both in revenues and titles. In 2008 revenues, adjusting for exchange rates, experienced a flat year. 2009 showed a slight decrease in turnover (accounting for exchange rates) and a slowdown of title growth. The crisis had less of an impact on publishing when compared to most other sectors. In 2010, growth resumed (especially exports), although favoured by exchange rates. From 2011 to 2014, the market slowed down, with the e-book market growing fast and a good performance of exports, which became even stronger from 2015 to 2017. The e-book market (now around 10% of the total) showed signs of stagnation for the last 6 years (but it could be a matter of capturing the right data), whereas audio book sales exploded in 2019, giving new impetus to digital sales. If 2018 marked a trend reversal in the recovery process started in 2015, 2019 confirmed the positive trend. 2020, the year for the pandemic, saw first a very negative impact of the health crisis, but closed with a result only moderately negative, albeit this was the result of many different situations, related to geography, formats, channels and type of operators.

For further information : Enrico Turrin, +32 2 776 84 64 - eturrin@fep-fee.eu

European Book Publishing Statistics 2019

fep-fee admin — 2021-01-19T10:20:25Z

18 January 2021

The Federation of European Publishers (FEP) represents 29 national associations of publishers from the European Union and the European Economic Area Member States. The present survey is based on reports from the national book publishing associations, and on further analysis and refining of data, for the year 2019. As of this year, the survey is based on a new questionnaire, which in the short term will entail limited comparability with some data from previous years and a greater degree of uncertainty regarding some of the information presented, but that in the long term will ensure the information is both clearer and more relevant.

The total annual sales revenue of book publishers of the EU and the EEA in 2019 was approximately € 22.4 billion, according to the survey conducted by FEP. This represents a significant increase from 2018 (22), with most markets continuing a recovery trend initiated a few years before and exchange rate effects no longer masking such growth. The largest markets in terms of publishers' turnover were Germany, the UK, France, Spain and Italy. Total market value is estimated at 36-38 billion €.

A total of about 605,000 new titles were issued by publishers in 2019, a small increase compared to 2018. The figure was taken from different sources, some of which included new editions or non-commercial titles, and was accordingly rounded conservatively. European publishers held more than 12.5 million different titles in stock, the countries reporting the largest availability being the UK, Germany, Italy, France and Spain; this figure, ever-increasing, has been spiked by the surge in digital publishing (in different formats), the digitisation of back catalogues, the growth of print-on-demand services and the surge in self-published titles, as well as other phenomena. The countries reporting the largest new titles output were the UK, Germany, Spain, Italy and France.

A total of approximately 130,000 people were employed full time in book publishing in 2019, a figure substantially equal to the previous year. This remains an area where it is difficult to gather reliable data. The entire book value chain (including authors, booksellers, printers, designers, etc.) is estimated to employ more than half a million people.

Looking at longer term trends, up to 2007 there was steady growth both in terms of turnover and of title output. In 2008 title production kept growing whilst turnover, adjusting for exchange rates, experienced a flat year. 2009 showed a slight decrease in turnover (accounting for exchange rates) and a slowdown of title growth. The crisis had less of an impact on publishing when compared to most other sectors. In 2010, growth resumed (especially exports), although favoured by exchange rates. In 2011 and 2012, the market went down, and title production growth was sluggish; the e-book market grew rapidly, and exports were strong. In 2013 and 2014 the market slowed down again, with the most notable trends being the continuous growth of the e-book market and the good performance of exports, which became even stronger from 2015 to 2017. The e-book market (now nearing 10% of the total) showed signs of stagnation for the last 5 years (but it could be a matter of capturing the right data), whereas audio book sales exploded in 2019, giving new impetus to digital sales. If 2018 marked a trend reversal in the recovery process started in 2015, 2019 confirmed the positive trend.

For further information: Enrico Turrin, +32 2 776 84 64 - eturrin@fep-fee.eu

European Book Publishing Statistics 2018

fep-fee admin — 2020-01-14T10:50:58Z

10 January 2020

The Federation of European Publishers (FEP) represents 29 national associations of publishers from the European Union and the European Economic Area Member States. The present survey is based on reports from the national book publishing associations, and on further analysis and refining of data, for the year 2018.
Figures on the overall economic significance of the publishing industry refer to net publishers' turnover, i.e. the publishers' total revenues from the sales of books, not the total market for books (margin of booksellers or other retailers). They also do not account for revenues in terms of selling rights for translation, audiovisual adaptation, etc. In some cases, only data on market value was available; in such cases, average discount rates were applied to calculate an approximation of net turnover. Figures were rounded conservatively.

The total annual sales revenue of book publishers of the EU and the EEA in 2018 was approximately € 22 billion, according to the survey conducted by FEP. This represents a small decline from 2017 (22.2), due to sluggish growth or small contractions across the majority of markets, although recovery continued in several areas previously affected by the economic crisis. The largest markets in terms of publishers' turnover in 2018 were Germany, the UK, France, Spain and Italy. Total market value is estimated at 36-38 billion €.

A total of about 585,000 new titles were issued by publishers in 2018. The figure was taken from different sources, some of which included new editions or non-commercial titles, and was accordingly rounded conservatively. There was therefore a decrease in the title output from the previous survey, which had highlighted a spike. European publishers held more than 11 million different titles in stock, the countries reporting the largest availability being the UK, Germany, Italy, France and Spain; this figure, ever-increasing, has been spiked by the surge in digital publishing (in different formats), the digitisation of back catalogues, the growth of print-on-demand services and the surge in self-published titles, as well as other phenomena. The countries reporting the largest new titles output were the UK, Germany, France, Spain and Italy.

A total of approximately 130,000 people were employed full time in book publishing in 2018, a figure substantially equal to the previous year. This remains an area where it is difficult to gather reliable data. The entire book value chain (including authors, booksellers, printers, designers, etc.) is estimated to employ more than half a million people.

Looking at longer term trends, up to 2007 there was steady growth both in terms of turnover and of title output. In 2008 title production kept growing whilst turnover, adjusting for exchange rates, experienced a flat year. 2009 showed a slight decrease in turnover (accounting for exchange rates) and a slowdown of title growth. The crisis had less of an impact on publishing when compared to most other sectors. In 2010, growth resumed (especially exports), although favoured by exchange rates. In 2011 and 2012, the market went down, and title production growth was sluggish; the e-book market grew rapidly and exports were strong. In 2013 and 2014 the market slowed down again, with the most notable trends being the continuous growth of the e-book market and the good performance of exports, which became even stronger from 2015 to 2017, while the e-book market (now around 7-8% of the total) showed signs of stagnation for the last 4 years (but it could be a matter of capturing the right data). Discounting the exchange rate effects, 2017 could be considered the third consecutive year of growth, something that had not happened since the start of the economic crisis in 2008; however, 2018 marked a trend reversal. Title output declined for the first time since 2014.

For further information: Enrico Turrin, +32 2 770 11 10 - eturrin@fep-fee.eu

European Book Publishing Statistics 2018

European Book Publishing Statistics 2017

fep-fee admin — 2018-12-20T08:27:58Z

The total annual sales revenue of book publishers of the EU and the EEA in 2017 was approximately € 22.2 billion, according to the survey conducted by FEP. This is substantially the same level as in 2016 (22.3), but it is the result mostly of particularly strong exchange rate effects (the weakening of the British Pound); in fact, the majority markets showed some degree of growth, while a few, also big ones, contracted. The largest markets in terms of publishers' turnover in 2017 were Germany, the UK, France, Spain and Italy. Total market value is estimated at 36-38 billion €.

A total of about 610,000 new titles were issued by publishers in 2017. The figure was taken from different sources, some of which included new editions or non-commercial titles, and was accordingly rounded conservatively. There was therefore another significant increase in the title output from the previous survey. European publishers held millions of different titles in stock, the countries reporting the largest availability being the UK, Germany, Italy, France and Spain; this figure, ever-increasing, has been spiked by the surge in digital publishing (in different formats), the digitisation of back catalogues, the growth of print-on-demand services and the surge in self-published titles (mainly in the UK), as well as other phenomena that make it necessary to reassess the sources and meaning of the data. The countries reporting the largest new titles output were the UK, Germany, France, Spain and Italy.

A total of approximately 130,000 people were employed full time in book publishing in 2017, a small increase compared to one year earlier; several countries reported increases after years of stagnation. This remains an area where it is difficult to gather reliable data. The entire book value chain (including authors, booksellers, printers, designers, etc.) is estimated to employ more than half a million people.

In 2010, growth resumed (especially exports), although favoured by exchange rates. In 2011 and 2012, the market went down, and title production growth was sluggish; the e-book market grew rapidly and exports were strong. In 2013 and 2014 the market slowed down again, with the most notable trends being the continuous growth of the e-book market and the good performance of exports, which became even stronger from 2015 to 2017, while the e-book market (now around 7% of the total) showed signs of stagnation for the last 3 years (but it could be a matter of capturing the right data). Discounting the exchange rate effects, 2017 can be considered the third consecutive year of growth, something that had not happened since the start of the economic crisis in 2008; title output keeps increasing.

For further information: Enrico Turrin, +32 2 770 11 10 - eturrin@fep-fee.eu

European Book Publishing Statistics 2017_corrected

European Book Publishing Statistics 2016

fep-fee admin — 2018-01-08T16:24:00Z

The total annual sales revenue of book publishers of the EU and the EEA in 2016 was approximately € 22.3 billion, according to the survey conducted by FEP. This is substantially the same level as in 2015, but it is the result mostly of particularly strong exchange rate effects (the weakening of the British Pound); in fact, the largest markets all recorded some degree of growth, though some medium ones contracted. The largest markets in terms of publishers' turnover in 2016 were Germany, the UK, France, Spain and Italy. Total market value is estimated at 36-38 billion €.

A total of about 590,000 new titles were issued by publishers in 2016. The figure was taken from different sources, some of which included new editions or non-commercial titles, and was accordingly rounded conservatively. There was therefore another significant increase in the title output from the previous survey. European publishers held a total of about 22.5 million different titles in stock (of which more than 4 million in digital format), the countries reporting the largest availability being the UK, Germany, Italy, France and Spain; this figure, ever-increasing, has been spiked by the surge in digital publishing (in different formats), the digitisation of back catalogues, the growth of print-on-demand services and the surge in self-published titles (mainly in the UK), as well as other phenomena that make it necessary to interpret the figure with caution. The countries reporting the largest new titles output were the UK, Germany, France, Spain and Italy.

A total of approximately 125,000 people were employed full time in book publishing in 2016, basically the same level as one year earlier; some countries reported increases after years of stagnation. This remains an area where it is difficult to gather reliable data. The entire book value chain (including authors, booksellers, printers, designers, etc.) is estimated to employ more than half a million people.

Looking at longer term trends, up to 2007 there was a clear growth trend both in terms of turnover and of title output. In 2008 title production kept growing whilst turnover, adjusting for exchange rates effects, experienced a flat year. 2009 showed a slight decrease in turnover (accounting for exchange rates) and a slowdown of title growth. The crisis had less of an impact on publishing when compared to most other sectors.

In 2010, growth resumed (especially exports), although favoured by exchange rates. In 2011 and 2012, the market went down, and title production growth was sluggish; the e-book market grew rapidly and exports were strong. In 2013 and 2014 the market slowed down again, with the most notable trends being the continuous growth of the e-book market and the good performance of exports, which became even stronger in 2015 and 2016, while the e-book market (now around 6% of the total) showed signs of stagnation for the last 2 years. Discounting the exchange rate effects, 2016 could be considered the second consecutive year of growth, something that had not happened since the start of the economic crisis in 2008; title output keeps increasing.

For further information: Enrico Turrin, +32 2 770 11 10 - eturrin@fep-fee.eu

European Book Publishing Statistics 2016