(ANSA) - ROME, DECEMBER 07 - A slight drop in 2022 is expected for Italian miscellaneous publishing (novels and non-print essays sold in physical and online bookstores and in supermarkets) compared to 2021, with a drop between 1, 1% and 1.8% for a value of sales at cover price between one billion and 676 million and one billion and 687 million.
In the first eleven months, the market value (sold at cover price) was 1.268 billion, - 2.3% compared to 2021 but up 12.9% compared to 2019, pre-pandemic.
Copies sold were 86.8 million, -2% compared to 2021 and an increase of 14.5% compared to 2019.
This according to the research office of the Italian Publishers Association, based on Nielsen Bookscan data for the first eleven months of 2022, presented on the opening day of Più libri piùliberi, the national fair of small and medium-sized publishing, until 11 December at the Nuvola di Rome.
The market share of various publishers under 25 million sold at cover price continues to grow and is equal to 45.2% in 2021 against 44.3% in the previous year and 42.6% in 2019. Within of this very large group, the publishers grew above all from 15 to 25 million, today at 5.4%, and those from 10 to 15 million, at 7.3%.
These two bands together, in 2019, were worth 4.6%, while today they are 12.5%.
Physical bookstores recovered with sales that, in the first eleven months of the year, grew by 1.3% to 674.8 million.
Online decreased by 5.3% to 532.9 million, large-scale distribution by 12.7% to 60.7 million.
Novels by foreign authors grew by 9.1%, Italian novels by 4.3%, comics by 15.9%.
Professional non-fiction fell by 13.3%, general non-fiction by 10.8%.
Children and teenagers by 2.5%.
Best performance in 2022 for love novels written by Italians (up 231%), home guides (up 130%), Italian chicks (literature for girls), at +92%.
The average price of sales stands at 14.62 euros, - 0.4% compared to 2021. The printed news published in the year is 62,745, -2% compared to the previous year.
(HANDLE).