Brussels (Brussels Morning) – Book sales in French-speaking Belgium fell by 6% in 2023, while Flemish sales remained stable or increased. Young adult and hobby book sales dropped significantly, though general literature and certain comics maintained popularity.
Book sales dropped sharply in French-speaking Belgium in 2023 while Flemish bookshops registered stable and even increased performance. Sales decreased by 6% in Wallonia in 2023, one of the poorest annual drops in Western Europe, according to market research group GfK: France declined by 5% and the UK by 4%, while Flanders, Portugal and Spain all documented increases of between 1% and 4%.
What Genres Are Thriving in Francophone Belgium?
In Francophone Belgium, 16.8 million books were sold, representing an evaluated €219 million in profit. The main losses happened between May and June and between August and September. The downward direction is expected to continue into 2024.
One of the worst-hit classes was books for young people, where sales have dropped by 20% since 2020. Practical books linked to hobbies such as cooking and gardening declined by 11% compared to the previous year.
What Led to the Increase in General Literature Sales?
Meanwhile, ‘general literature’ is enjoying growing popularity, making up 28% of the market. Paperbacks accounted for two-thirds of deals within this segment. Despite emerging as one of the more powerful categories, there was nonetheless a marked reduction in bestsellers in 2023, with only four titles selling more than 20,000 compositions. The average number of copies sold was 252 for the whole year.
French crime novels, new romance, ‘romantasy’ (new romance in a fantastical setting) and science fiction caught readers’ attention more than any other genre. Contemporary novels are anticipated to dominate statistics for the first quarter of 2024.
Why Are Comic Strip Sales Declining in 2024?
The comic strip underwent the sharpest drop in 2024. Despite making up 28% of overall sales (and therefore ahead of the rest), comic strip sales decreased by 8% in 2024. This was worst felt in manga (down by 14%), and in certain ‘shonen’ manga (down by 16%), which is geared towards pre-teenagers aged between ten and 15.
However, iconic Belgian comics seem to have fled the blow. Asterix and Gaston featured in the top ten annual sales and the sensation of these titles is projected to remain stable into 2024.
The Brussels-Capital Region has just ranked comic strips as an intangible cultural heritage, making it the first Belgian region to do so. Brussels State Secretary for Heritage Ans Persoons (Vooruit) directs to comic strips as “one of the most important symbols of Brussels” and expects that Hergé’s first Tintin comic strip will receive UNESCO status on its 100th anniversary in 2029.
