ACQNET v8n011 (March 10, 1998) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/acqnet/acqnet-v8n011.txt ISSN: 1057-5308 *************** ACQNET, Vol. 8, No. 11, March 10, 1998 ======================================== (1) FROM: D. Marshall SUBJECT: Publishing in Spain - Report from ALA midwinter (253 lines) (1)---------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 26 Feb 1998 13:00:22 -0500 From: David L. Marshall (Georgetown Univ.) Subject: Publishing in Spain - report from ALA The following are abbreviated remarks delivered by Mr. Alain Couartou of Iberbook International, S. A. (Madrid) to the WESS Romance Discussion Group at ALA Midwinter in New Orleans. He has kindly agreed to share the text of his talk. This report was edited for ACQNET by David Marshall. Due to the length of the comments, Section III: THE HISTORICAL-POLITICAL-CULTURAL BACKGROUND TO PUBLISHING IN THE LANGUAGES OF SPAIN OTHER THAN SPANISH has not been reproduced here. ROMANCE DISCUSSION GROUP -- NEW ORLEANS 01-12-98 Remarks by ALAIN COUARTOU - IBERBOOK PUBLISHING IN THE LANGUAGES OF SPAIN: PRESENT AND FUTURE TRENDS What I want to do today is to look at the current situation and future trends in publishing in the autonomous regions - the Comunidades Autonomas - of Spain and in the different languages of Spain. There are three sections to my talk: Firstly, I would like to give you an overview of the publishing sector in general. This will allow us to make comparisons and to recognise similarities and differences. Secondly, we shall look at specific facts and figures on publishing in Catalan, Basque, Galician and - of lesser importance - Valencian, Asturian and Aranes. And finally, I should like to offer you some considerations of a historical-political-cultural nature with a view to forecasting the possible future of publishing in the above languages. I. AN OVERVIEW OF THE PUBLISHING SECTOR a) The general TRENDS of the publishing sector in Spain are well defined and have been evident for several years. They are similar to those in other Western European countries: - an increasing concentration; - an integration of publishing work within the activities of the large communication groups; - a steady decline in the average number of copies printed; - and a growth in electronic publishing. b) THE PUBLISHING HOUSES - There are about 3,300 active publishing houses in Spain. 80% are commercial publishers or non-profit making institutions. 20% are within the various public administration bodies. - Of these 3,300 publishing houses, only about 700 publish more than 10 books a year. - Approximately 10,000 people work directly in publishing. c) THE NUMBER OF BOOKS PUBLISHED - About 50,000 books with ISBN numbers are published each year in Spain. 80% are first editions - an interesting fact given that in France, Italy, Germany and the United kingdom only 50% or 70% are first editions. Or, to put it another way, Spain reprints and re-edits less. - Now, if we exclude from these 40,000 first editions all translated works (25% of the total) - or rather, to be more exact, all translations from languages not native to Spain - and if we also exclude children's books, textbooks, books on sport, cookery, vanity, etc., then we are left with about 5,000 titles which are of particular interest to university libraries. And these are approximately: 2,000 on Literature and Linguistics 1,400 on History 1,300 on Social Sciences 300 on Art - It is worth noting that between 1995 and 1996 there was a 10% drop in the publication of critical and historical works on Spanish and Latin American literature and narrative. On the other hand, 20% more books on the theatre were published and poetry publications remained at the same level. - In the same period of 1995-1996 the number of books catalogued under Social Sciences also fell by some 8%. d) AVERAGE PRINT RUNS Since 1985 the trend has been one of a slow but steady decline in the number of copies (not titles) published annually. There are books with editions of more than 30,000 copies, but for many titles fewer than 1,000 copies are published (average: 5,000 for Literature, 2,000 for Social Sciences). As would be expected, the fewest copies printed are those of books on Social Sciences. And the reduction in the print run is usually matched by a rise in the average price of a book. e) PRICE MOVEMENTS Let me just confirm the good news that you are already aware of. I should emphasise that since 1991 there has been a clear price stability or just a minimal rise in the average price of books in Spain. And if we add to this the 30% fall in the value of the peseta in relation to the dollar, the current low inflation rate in Spain, and if we refer to the average book price of about 2,300 Pts., - then a book which cost =2423 in 1992 now costs more or less the same. To conclude this overview of the publishing sector, let me underline the fact that the large companies and publishing groups today produce three-quarters of the books published and only 34% of sales are made through bookshops. I should also mention the current publication of about 1,000 multimedia books (that is, book plus CD plus video plus floppy disk or cassette), 2,000 microfiches/titles and 1,000 CD-ROMs (electronic publishing). II. PUBLISHING IN THE AUTONOMOUS REGIONS OF SPAIN AND IN LANGUAGES OTHER THAN SPANISH Keeping the previous overview in mind, I would now like to move on to the topic of publishing in the autonomous regions of Spain - The Comunidades Autonomas - and in languages other than Spanish. In Spain publishing has traditionally been centred on Madrid and Barcelona. Madrid maintains its prime position (despite some decrease in its dominance) with 38% of the titles published, followed by Barcelona with 33%. 1. The autonomous regions which have increased their production most are Cantabria, Aragon, Navarre and the Balearic Islands. Figures for 1996 give the following ranking (Spanish + Languages other than Spanish): 1. Madrid 18,800 2. Catalonia 16,600 3. Valencia 2,900 4. Andalusia 2,600 5. The Basque Country 2,300 6. Castile and Leon 1,600 7. Galicia 1,500 8. Navarre 800 Publishing for the more global market - essentially that done in Madrid and Catalonia - differs from publishing for the local market not only in the number of titles produced but also, of course, in larger editions. One very interesting development which is worth drawing your attention to is the increase in translations from and into the various languages of Spain (some 2,200 books). Spanish is in fact not the language which is most translated into Catalan, Galician and Basque. And Catalan is in third place after English and French for languages translated into Spanish. The languages translated most are, in order: English Spanish French German Italian Catalan The recent trend has been one of a gradual reduction in translations from foreign languages (English, French, German, Italian) and a steady increase in translations between the various languages of Spain. It is also worth noting the growth in material in English, French and German published in Spain by Spanish publishers and, above all, the increase in books in Portuguese published in Spain (more than 700 titles - almost as high as the number of books in English). Let us now have a look at the figures for books published in the different languages of Spain (ISBN statistics for 1996): Spanish 39,000 77% Catalan 5,500 12% Galician 1,100 2.5% Basque 1,100 2.5% Valencia 500 1.5% Asturian 40 Aragonese 10 Aranes 3 2. PUBLISHING IN CATALAN Every year some 500 publishers produce between 5,500 and 6,000 books in Catalan. And in 1996 the number of books published in Catalan increased by 4.5%. The greatest number of books translated into Catalan are those in English closely followed by those in Spanish. Not all the books in Catalan are published in Catalonia - 11% are produced in Valencia and 9% in Madrid. 85% of the books in Catalan are published by the private sector with 5% of the commercial publishers producing 55% of the total. Public sector publishing is following a downward trend while private sector publishing is increasing. Textbooks and children's books account for 50% of the production, with literature standing at 16%, linguistics at 2.5% and history at 6%. Between 1982 and 1996 there was a significant increase in total production - 2,000 books in Catalan were published in 1982, 6,000 in 1997. 3. PUBLISHING IN BASQUE Some 100 publishers produce around 1,100 titles every year. In 1996 the number of books published in Basque increased by 13%. Books in Spanish followed by books in English are those most translated into Basque. Vizcaya, Guipuzcoa and Madrid (7%) are the centres of significant publishing activity. 90% of the books in Basque are published by private companies with 7% of the commercial publishers accounting for 62% of the total. As in the case of Catalan, public sector publishing is tending to decrease and private sector publishing is increasing. Textbooks and children's books account for 70% of production, literature and linguistics 17%. In 1982, 340 titles in Basque were published; fifteen years later the figure was more than 1,100. 4. PUBLISHING IN GALICIAN There are also about 100 publishers producing 1,100 books in Galician. In contrast to Catalan and Basque, Galician appears to be reflecting the minimal decline recorded recently for publishing overall in Spain. The production of titles translated from Spanish or English into Galician is low (14%). Most books in Galician are published in La Corunya, Pontevedra and Madrid (17%). 80% of the books published in Galician are produced by private companies. 10% of the publishers produce 70% of the books. Once again public sector publishing is tending to decrease. Textbooks and children's books account for 50% of the production and literary works 18%. 218 titles in Galician were published in 1982 and 1,130 in 1996. To sum up, in all three areas: Catalonia, the Basque Country and Galicia we should note: The decrease in public sector or institutional publishing and the dominance of the commercial publishers, who produce 85% of the books. In contrast, public sector publishing is much more evident in, for example, Andalusia or Extremadura. A considerable increase between 1982 and 1992/1993 in books published in Catalan, Basque and Galician and some instability since 1992/1993. ****** END OF FILE ****** ACQNET, Vol. 8, No. 11 ****** END OF FILE ******