Publishers' sales came to 2.9 billion euros for 2024, down 1.5% on 2023, according to the annual summary of the Syndicat national de l'édition (SNE). The volume of copies sold is also down, at 426 million versus 439.7 million a year earlier. This is the first time since 2019 that sales have fallen below 435 million copies.
All segments are affected by this downturn, with the exception of literature, which accounts for 24% of publishing sales, posting a handsome 5.7% increase, driven by romance and crime fiction.
Exports of books fell by 1.2% to 694.2 million euros, while sales of translation rights fell by 2.6% to 14,265 contracts.
Fewer new releases, more reprints
The decline in the number of new titles published continues: 36,232 new titles in 2024, compared with 44,660 in 2019, a 19% decrease over five years. This decline is part of a strategy to regulate catalogs, in order to contain costs and limit market saturation, explains the syndicate. The number of copies printed for these new titles fell by 4.1%.
Reprints, on the other hand, are up 2.8% on 2023 and 11.1% on 2019, reflecting a refocusing on fund titles.
These trends are accompanied by a decline in overall average circulation, to 4,253 copies, down 2.9% on 2023.
Paper purchases down, but more certified
The reduction in printed volumes is reflected in a parallel drop in paper purchases. In 2023, publishers bought 178,618 tonnes of paper, down 15% on 2013, according to the SNE's Environment and Manufacturing commission.
The environmental quality of our paper is making great strides: 98% of purchases now involve PEFC-, FSC- or recycled-certified paper. This figure was 88% in 2013. Major publishing houses (over 10 million euros in sales) account for 97.3% of volumes purchased, almost all of which are certified.
It should be noted that smaller publishers make more frequent use of uncertified paper (18.3% of volumes for companies with sales of 1 to 10 million euros, and 8.8% for publishers with sales of less than 1 million euros).
Two-thirds of paper is purchased directly by publishers, the rest via printers.
Pocket books: stable in value, down in volume
The paperback segment remained stable in value terms, with sales of 425.4 million euros. In volume, however, sales fell by 2.5% to 111.8 million copies. Excluding manga, the decline was limited to 1.6%.
Literature accounts for 59.2% of paperback sales by value, well ahead of children's books (14.6%) and comics (8.6%). This format continues to account for 26.2% of volumes and 15.4% of the sector's overall sales.
First months of 2025: the trend continues
Data available at the beginning of 2025 confirms the continuation and even accentuation of trends recorded in 2024, with a decline in value in all segments except literature. The SNE intends to pursue its action in the coming months through its Environment, Manufacturing and International commissions, with the support of partners such as GfK, Dilicom and the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
Used books, AI, Culture Pass: the causes of a structural weakening
This erosion is due to several structural factors. The development of the used book market is having a direct impact on new book sales. The SNE also points to the distribution of content generated by artificial intelligence, without editorial validation, on certain online platforms.
The reduction in the individual amount of the Culture Pass and changes in reading habits, particularly among young people, complete this picture. The impact of these various factors is still difficult to isolate, but their convergence is increasingly weighing on the sector's economic equilibrium.
"The Syndicat national de l'eÌdition will resolutely pursue its commitment to all these issues in the months and years to come" he says.
