Upcoming Trade Shows in Italy for Books

The Italian publishing industry is experiencing a remarkable surge in recent years. Over 81,800 trade titles were published in 2021. This signifies a remarkable 17.6% increase compared to the previous year and an 11% rise from 2019. The growth in trade books can be attributed, in part, to the release of titles postponed from 2020 to 2021, which is attributed to the pause during the early years of the pandemic. It also showcases a strong correlation between increased supply and heightened demand. The exceptional sales growth in 2020, despite fewer new releases, appears as an outlier. E-books, after an explosive year in 2020, reached a total of 49,926 in 2021, which is a solid 2.4% increase compared to 2019. Conversely, the number of published textbooks in 2021 amounted to 3308, reflecting an 18.7% decrease from 2020. The overall selection continues to expand with a total of 1.331 million titles available in the market, excluding self-published works. This figure represents a 5.3% increase from the previous year. Remarkably, in 2010, prior to Amazon's presence in Italy, there were approximately half as many titles - 669,240. In 1998, this number was even more modest, standing at 339,883 when Ibs.it was launched. The e-book catalogue mirrors the industry's growth. Currently there 550,000 titles available to customers, which amounts to a 9% increase from the previous year. In terms of print runs, innovative approaches such as print-on-demand and distribution innovations have led to a substantial reduction in printed books. The total annual print run stood at 134.3 million copies in 2020, a significant drop of over 100 million compared to the peak of 236.6 million copies in 1995. Each title's average print run has decreased to 2100 copies compared to 5800 in the 1990s. Notably, the comic genre has seen steady growth as it now comprises 13% of all fiction titles.