After a turbulent year, book sales have recently picked up again. For example, titles recommended on TikTok are in high demand. The New Adult genre, which targets 18 to 30 year olds, is very trendy. The bestsellers also include many new publications by Austrian and German authors.
The year was a thriller for local booksellers: the bankruptcy of the wholesaler Medienlogistik Pichler-ÖBZ, which managed about 80 publishers, delayed the delivery of many titles. The logistics chains are now intact again. Gustav Soucek, director of the Main Book Trade Association: “The turbulence after the bankruptcy is over, the publishers have found new supplies.” The Ministry of Culture’s emergency aid of 500,000 euros for Austrian publishers also helped.
For the book trade, it currently seems like a happy ending for 2023 – and that is important because 25 percent of all books are sold in the four weeks before Christmas. The annual turnover of the industry amounts to 700 million euros.
“What’s better as a last-minute gift than a book?” says Morawa boss Klaus Magele, who has expanded his range this year with gift items. Magele: “There is a lot of demand for combinations of a book and a declaration of love in the form of a muesli bowl or even a cozy blanket.”
“In 2023, #BookTok has developed into a trend on the book market,” says Libro director Susanne Schürz. It is one of the most popular pages on the social media platform TikTok, where users recommend favorite books.
The titles are often read in English, for example in the ‘New Adult’ genre, which revolves around the adventures of young people who fall in love with each other. According to Thalia boss Andrea Heumann, the target group is 18 to 30-year-old readers.
The bestsellers also include new publications by Austrian and German authors such as Daniel Kehlmann, Dirk Stermann and Tonio Schachinger, who won the German Book Prize. Books by celebrities such as football legends Hans Krankl and Herbert Prohaska are always in demand.
Naturally, the increased costs for paper, transport and personnel cause problems for retailers. Stephan Bair, head of the Tirolia chain, therefore calls on politicians to reduce sales tax on books: “With ten percent we are ahead of Germany, Italy and Switzerland.”
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
