International Update: French Book Sales Fell 3% in 2024; 'Another Good Year' for Aussie Booksellers

Book sales in France decreased by an estimated 3% after inflation last year, according to Vincent Montagne, president of the French Publishers Association (Syndicat National de l'Edition) and chair and CEO of Media Participations. The Bookseller reported that in a speech at the SNE's New Year reception, Montagne described 2024 as "a difficult year." 

Figures released by market research firm NielsenIQ x GfK showed that 23 million French people bought at least one book last year, with secondhand copies accounting for 18% of the total and e-books less than 5%. The Bookseller noted that the data was collected from more than 8,500 points of sale, including 1,100 independent booksellers.

Regarding indies, last year was difficult one for outlets of all sizes and in all regions, said Alexandra Charroin-Spangenberg, president of the French Booksellers Association (Syndicat de la Librairie Française, SLF).

"Larger shops normally fare better in a downturn, but last year the decline was across the board," the Bookseller noted. "The SLF's Observatory panel of 470 booksellers showed a 2024 drop of 0.9% in turnover and 2.4% in the number of copies sold, which was partially offset by an average 1.6% rise in book prices."

Charroin-Spangenberg, who is joint manager of the Librairie de Paris bookshop in Saint-Etienne, cited France's political instability as a reason for end-of-year sales being exceptionally bleak, noting that fears of economic turmoil due to the country's massive financial deficit have eroded consumer spending. "We are not expecting miracles from the government," she added.

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Robbie Egan

In the first newsletter of 2025 from BookPeople, the association of Australian booksellers, CEO Robbie Egan looked back on 2024 and forward to the year ahead, noting, in part: "I hope trade is strong and you had a chance for quality time with friends and family after the mayhem of December. Anecdotally things are positive, though there is no universal truth. As always there are many markets and variations by location, demographics and so on. Early indications suggest January is off to a strong start, which is an encouraging sign for the year ahead."

Noting that 2024 was "another good year for BookPeople," Egan wrote that the association has migrated its membership information to a new management system that "will allow us to better communicate (and track our comms) with you all. The system allows for the creation of groups, something that many members have asked for over the years. We will be trialing this feature of the system and look to set up groups as soon as we have a better grasp of how to best manage them.

"The buying group continues to grow. Reports show huge market share for key titles in the last weeks of December, and that does not include the total group.... Our gift cards are picking up steam. It was gratifying to see a significant number of orders in December were international, particularly from the U.K. and Ireland, with N.Z. and North America featuring prominently, all of which is liquidity that would otherwise not exist.... I think we have achieved an enormous amount in the six years I have been here, under the most testing of circumstances. We now look forward to a fantastic 2025." 

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Jim MacSweeney

Jim MacSweeney is stepping down after 27 years from his position as manager of 46-year-old Gay's the Word bookshop in London. In a Facebook post, the bookstore noted that MacSweeney will continue to work as a bookseller, book buyer, and accounts manager, and he "is delighted to be handing over the reins to Uli Lenart who has supported him in the role of deputy manager for the last twenty years.

"Jim and Uli have always run the bookshop collaboratively, deciding together, and with the support of our fantastic team of booksellers and directors, how best to look after this special space for now and the future. We see this shift as the best of all worlds. The bookshop gets to retain all of Jim's knowledge and expertise, and after an incredible period at the helm, he gets to have some pressure taken off his shoulders, with more time to enjoy being a bookseller.... Jim has been an extraordinarily dedicated manager and it's not an overstatement to say that the LGBT+ community, across generations, owe him a debt of gratitude." --Robert Gray

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