The Argentine Federation of Bookstores, Stationeries, and Related Businesses (La Federación Argentina de Librerías, Papelerías y Afines) declared a "bookselling emergency," after a national survey revealed a sharp decline in activity since 2023, the Buenos Aires Herald reported.
The study found that book sales fell by approximately 25% between 2023 and 2026, while bookshops' revenue has shrunk by 41.5%. Meanwhile, major costs required to run a bookstore--including utilities, communications, and transport/logistics--have risen by 31.1%, the survey showed.
FALPA noted that many independent bookstores are staying afloat by cutting their owners' pay, tapping into savings, or going into debt. The organization also connected the issue to concerns about Argentina's declining PISA test scores, which measure students' learning.
"This emergency is occurring, moreover, within an educational context that demands rebuilding reading habits," FALPA said. "The latest PISA test results show a worrying decline in reading comprehension among our youth. In light of this reality, strengthening the reading habit and preserving the network of bookstores that connects every community with books must be part of a priority cultural and educational policy."
The Federation called on national, provincial, and municipal governments to "adopt urgent measures to preserve the independent bookstore network.... We are not asking for privileges. We are asking for conditions that allow us to compete, work, and survive. There comes a point where individual effort by booksellers is no longer enough. We are getting to that point," FALPA said, adding: "Bookstores form a cultural network spread across cities and towns throughout the country. They bring books closer to readers, help people discover authors and publishing houses, and play a particularly key role in promoting reading.... When a bookstore closes, it's not just a business disappearing. A gateway to books and to the community's culture disappears as well."
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| Chapters Bookstore in Dublin, An Post's 2025 winner | |
Twelve booksellers around Ireland have been longlisted for the An Post Bookshop of the Year category, designed to acknowledge the significant role played by independent bookshops and local branches of bookshop chains in helping their local communities to find and savor the titles of their choice. A shortlist will be released on October 22 with the overall winner named at the An Post Irish Book Awards on December 1. The longlisted bookshops are:
Bantry Bookshop, Co. Cork
Books at One, Louisburgh, Co. Mayo
Bridge Books Dromore, Co. Down
Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop, Galway
Genius Juniors, Co. Clare
Leaf and Bower, Co. Cork
O’Mahony’s Booksellers, Limerick
Philip’s Bookshop, Mallow, Co. Cork
Tales for Tadpoles, Bray, Co. Wicklow
The Book Centre, Waterford
The Bookshelf, Newry
Woodbine Books, Kilcullen, Co. Kildare
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Can bookshops survive the digital age? Bookseller Kris Konnaris is a believer. He purchased the Moufflon Bookshop in Nicosia, Cyprus, in 2022 from Ruth Keshishian, who founded the bookstore in 1967 and died last year. Konnaris spoke with the Cyprus Mail about the future of bookselling and his role as the owner of the shop that is considered an "unofficial culture ministry." Among the highlights of the interview:
Asked if bookshops can carry on as they used to, Konnaris replied: "I'm not worried about the future, we carry on doing what we know and our clientele is growing. People are going back to reading, and this is something analyzed in panels and discussions on the future of the books, and existing alongside the digital era and e-books etc. Our problem isn't so much the end of the book, e-books function as additions. We print more books today than we ever printed in history of typography. We print some millions of books a year.
"The matter comes down to do you have something to offer. And the Moufflon always had this knowledge.... There's something almost metaphysical about this place: strange encounters, uncanny coincidences, a constant flow of people coming and going, asking, calling, e-mailing. That movement is what a bookshop does best, and it's how Moufflon has always lived. Online sales have grown and help financially, but it's the shop itself that brings the money and, more importantly, the people.... I'm deeply grateful and proud that Ruth entrusted me with this; one day I too will pass it on too, because Moufflon must continue."