Brazil News
RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazilians bought almost 470 million books in 2011, the highest number ever recorded in one year, according to a recent study. The publishing sector’s total revenues also reached a record, growing over 7% from the previous year.
Brazilian Book Sales Hit Record in 2011
As the middle class continues to grow, and people have more leisure time, they are reading more. In 2011, Brazilians purchased 469.5 million books, a record for the country. The figure is an increase of 7.2% compared with the 438 million sold in 2010.
The data are from a recent study conducted by the Institute of Economic Research (FIPE) on the publishing industry, and reported by the website Rank Brasil. According to the survey, last year, the sector’s revenues grew by 7.38%, surpassing 4.8 billion reals ($2.4 billion).
The survey also shows that in 2011 the number of titles published totaled 58,192, representing 6.28% more than the previous year. Of this total, 20,405 were new releases.
Bookstores (including online) accounted for most book sales, growing from 40.51% of the total to 44.0%. Sales from publishing houses directly to churches and other religious institutions grew from 1.26% to 4.03% of total books sold.
Newsstands have also greatly increased their participation in the industry, with sales growing from 0.36% to 2.21%. Among all sales channels, only door-to-door sales fell significantly, falling more than half: from 21.66% to 9.07%.
FIPE conducts the study “Production and Sales of the Brazilian Publishing Industry” each year. The National Association of Book Publishers (LETS) and the Brazilian Book Chamber (CBL) commission the study.
According to an article on the website Publish News Brazil, the number of e-books sold in 2011 was 1,200% higher than in 2010. However, the article said that its source, Companhia das Letras, did not reveal quantities.
