Asociación Galega de Editores

Publishing by the numbers

Publishing in Galician experienced a noticeable increase since the end of the seventies. Publishers proliferated and put more than 1800 titles on the market in 2006.

In the eighties, only a few books in Galician were published (500 titles per year). During the first four years of the eighties, a moderate growing tendency was displayed and publishing production increased by 16%. After 1984, a two-year period of contraction occurred with only 259 new publications per year.

A new expanding stage began in 1986, which extended during the second half of the eighties and the first years of the nineties. From 1986 to 1990, the number of books published each year in Galicia rose by 63%. Futhermore, the number of titles published in Galician during the first years of the nineties grew substantially: by 77% between 1991 and 1993. On the whole, from 1991 to 2006, the publication of books in Galician increased by 202%.

In the nineties, the number of books published was three times more than during the previous decade. The explosion of publishing production was a fact in the new century. Between 1999 and 2006, nearly 10499 titles in Galician came out.

The latest report on the Domestic Book Trade in Galicia of 2007 reveals a production of 1623 titles, published by private publishing companies, partners of AGE, which represent 95% of the sector. In addition to this amount, there are also other titles published by other public or private institutions whose main activity is not publishing.

TABLE 1

Since the beginning of the century, an average of 126 more titles were published each year. The turnover of Galician books was €16 million in 2003, exceeded €28 million in 2006 and reached €31 million in 2007. The volume of business rose by €15 million in four years.

Table 2. TURNOVER EVOLUTION (in thousands of euros)

TABLE 2