Antonio Maria Avila, director of FGEE (Federation of Publishing Guilds of Spain), talked to ARS about Liber 2014's conclusions. Plus his takes on the estate of Spain's publishing industry, piracy, and the importance of American buyers.

What is your assessment upon the end of the latest edition of Liber 2014 in Barcelona?

Liber was born as an export fair, and it accomplishes that goal extraordinarily well. This year has been no exception. Thanks to those results, it has also been included in a forum of professional fairs, for which we are pleased, and it is also a cultural event with evident room for improvement.

What is the resonance of Spain’s publishing industry in the cultural and financial spheres of the country?

As a whole, Spain’s publishing industry—which, according to the chosen criteria, is the world’s fourth or fifth—represents virtually one percent of the country’s gross domestic product. It is the most important cultural industry in Spain, with an enormous transcendence not only in the field of finance but also in the fields of culture and education. And it publishes books in all the official languages of Spain.

How does piracy affect the publishing sector?

Enormously. Not only directly –the direct losses are estimated in around 150 million euros—but, also, and most importantly, indirectly, because it acts as a sales inhibitor. That is one of the main problems we face today.

What steps are taking Spain’s publishing houses after being confronted with the collapse of the domestic market?

That collapse is due to the virtual suppression of budget appropriations for book purchasing on the part of the library system; to the elimination of assistance to families for book purchasing; and to piracy. Those three factors explain the collapse of the domestic market, and we are fighting them by not ceasing to publish good books and by keeping prices low –prices now are lower than a year ago, or even five years ago.

How important has it been the strong presence of international buyers, particularly the reverse trade mission of librarians and distributors from the Unites States?

The arrival of overseas buyers at LIBER is essential, especially the presence of American librarians and distributors. We would love for their numbers to grow.