German and French book trades issue impassioned plea for government support

Germany and France have called on policy-makers in their respective governments in Berlin and Paris as well as in Brussels for sustainable policies to promote books in the digital age.

The trade associations of both countries issued a joint statement at the annual German trade conference, organised this week by Börsenverein des deutschen Buchhandels in Berlin.

The impassioned plea for a forward-looking European strategy for books and the book industry as a whole is far-reaching and aims beyond the boundaries of the signatories. These include Börsenverein as the single body for the German book industry as well as the French organisations Syndicat national de l’édition (SNE), Syndicat de la Librairie Française (SLF) and Syndicat des Distributeurs de Loisirs Culturels (SDLC).

Apart from copyright issues and the demand for open borders, the statement asks for clear support of fixed book prices – both of which are in place in Germany and France – and calls for reduced VAT for e-books and practicable strategies for interoperability and accessibility across borders for books in digital formats.

“In times when some nations withdraw into nationalism and isolate themselves, Europe can answer with a dynamic openness, in which books play a vital part. They are the mainstay of our education, an important engine for integration and the foundation of society”, said SNE president Vincent Montagne. Adding that the “Franco-German collaboration can and will make a significant distribution to this endeavour.”

The joint statement came on the back of a number of national and Europe-wide reform proposals for the book industry; first of all the European Commission’s plans for a digital single market. While this was welcomed in principle, conference attendees have voiced the need for closer scrutiny by the member states of the European Union (EU) and the European Parliament.

Referring to the “innovative and well-oiled publication structures” in France, Germany and other EU countries, Börsenverein c.e.o. Alexander Skipis said that they need to be kept in place despite Brussels’ understandable desire to ease access to digital contents. “The sustainability of the European book industry can only be guaranteed by a far-sighted and prudent approach to the reform process.”

More than 700 publishers, booksellers and other members of the book industry attended the two-day conference which this year was all about strategies and innovations. While the German book market ended 2016 with sales marginally up by 1%, this was mainly due to increased online sales.

Brick-and-mortar booksellers are increasingly coming under pressure. Even though they remained by far the largest sales channel, turnover was down 0.8% on the previous year to €4,39bn, with their market share declining accordingly to 47.3% (2015: 48.2%).

The major factor in the decline, say booksellers, is a marked drop in customer traffic, something that has hurt many other German retailers as well. The decline of the high street in the wake of customers migrating to the internet, and exploring ways to drive more people into the stores, respectively keeping existing customers on board ran like a common thread through the conference.