Romania's book market, on an uptrend

The combined turnover of the book publishers and retailers in Romania is expected to go over RON 1.11 billion (some EUR 240 million) this year, the highest level in the last seven years, according to estimates by financial consultancy firm KeysFin. Compared to 2012, the turnover level is 16.2% higher. Moreover, the combined profits of these companies have doubled since 2012, reaching almost RON 100 million (EUR 21.5 million) in 2017, according to the same source. Book publishers have been making efforts to come up with a more attractive offer in recent years, by translating more contemporary international literature and non-fiction books. The children’s book market, which started from a very low level, has seen the fastest growth. However, the economic growth hasn’t determined a significant growth of the book market, which has evolved much slower than the economy, according to KeysFin. There are about 1,000 publishing houses in Romania and some 350 book retailers, the numbers being similar to those in 2012. The biggest publisher in terms of sales, in 2016, was Grupul Editorial Art, with a turnover of some EUR 8.2 million, and the biggest retailer was Direct Client Services (Carturesti), with close to EUR 19 million in sales. The ranking doesn’t include, however, the biggest online book retailer Elefant. Legislative project aims to increase book consumption in Romania editor@romania-insider.com