The Spanish book business took a hard hit in the 2008 financial crisis. Observers say they look to October’s book fair at Barcelona to boost a growing recovery.

The figures speak for themselves:  Book sales in Spain are reported by the publishers’ federation there to have slumped 36 percent since 2008, or by €87 million. And despite early signs of a recovery, the country’s publishing industry has yet to recover.

The shrinkage is across the board. According to the Federación de Gremios de Editores de España (FGEE), the industry saw a decline across the board between 2008 and 2014. While the recovery kicked in two years ago, the sector, FGEE officials say, finds itself less healthy than before the crisis.

Spain published 367.4 million books in 2008, a figure that had fallen to 226.5 million in 2014—down 38 percent—while sales slumped from €240.6 million in 2008 to €153.6 million in 2014, a 36-percent drop.

Read full article here Publishing Perspectives By Adam Critchley