Sales of traditional books in
Italy rose in 2015 after five years of declines, data from
Italian publishing association AIE showed on Thursday.
AIE said sales of paperback and hardback books in trade
channels edged up 0.7% last year, while the overall market
including ebooks and sales at fairs and museum shops rose 1.6%.
The children and teenagers sector fuelled sales growth the
most, AIE said. Fiction and non-fiction books also both
registered value gains in traditional book sales.
Readership of traditional books among people above the age
of six rose 1.2%, based on data from national statistics agency
ISTAT, with purchases by weak and occasional readers growing in
particular.
The number of e-book readers in Italy on the other hand
declined 5.6 % in 2015, but remained roughly around 4.5-5
million people.
Readership of e-books among 15-19-year-olds is almost
double the national average, the data showed.
Giovanni Peresson from AIE's research office said the
positive result after years of suffering showed that the book
world was following a trend towards quality seen in other
economic sectors.
"What has changed is the reader: more autonomous,
disenchanted, and flexible. The real game will be played in
2016," he said.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
