In an open letter published in The World on May 23, 2020 and entitled "Mr. President of the Republic, don't forget livre?!", a group of 625 authors, publishers and booksellers is asking the President of the Republic for a recovery plan for the sector that was absent from the announcements made on May 6 by the Head of State.
The closure imposed by the health crisis has severely affected the income of bookshops, with repercussions for the entire book chain.
"The complete closure of bookstores has led to a loss of almost all their sales and of more than 80% for publishing houses, underlines the collective . Distributors, broadcasters and printers were therefore heavily affected. Authors, deprived of book sales and paid meetings, are experiencing an unprecedented loss of income. The world of books is in danger" .
The Publishers' Union (NIS), signatory to this appeal, supports the call in a statement : "It's the whole sector that's in jeopardy. If an ambitious recovery plan for books and reading is not launched, many players will disappear, while others will have to fight just to survive. (...) It's now or never."
Tracks are proposed, such as total exemption from charges or the introduction of a Read Cheque or a Read Pass.
