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General break in the Spanish publishing sector. The main publishing houses of the country have decided to freeze the launching of news that they had planned for the coming weeks, given the delicate situation the country is going through and the general closure of culture. With the majority of bookstores closed and millions of citizens at home, many publishers are slowly starting to postpone their literary bets for this spring.

This is the case of the two large publishing groups that together account for more than 50% of the Spanish market, Grupo Planeta and Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial . In both cases, the forecasts of its catalog will be delayed: several weeks in the case of Planeta and until the first of May in the case of Random. Small publishers like Acantilado have also opted for the same strategy and will focus their efforts in the coming weeks on promoting their ebooks .

But the fact that no new books appear does not mean that they stop selling , explain sources in the sector. In fact, the two large groups continue to replenish stock in the large stores that remain open (many hypermarkets have a small section for newspapers and books) and some kiosks. And to this we must add that the obligation to close the blind does not affect bookstores that also sell newspapers , as it is considered a good of first necessity.

Meanwhile, most publishers have turned to actions and acts broadcast through social networks , such as virtual book presentations, so that the reading flame is not extinguished during these days of confinement. Some authors have even decided to share their books for free via Twitter, such as James Rhodes and his memoirs, Instrumental, with the permission of their publisher, Blackie Books.

In spring the Book Day, Sant Jordi and the Madrid Book Fair coincide. It is, along with the rentrée and the Christmas campaign, one of the peak moments of turnover for the sector. This explains why the hiatus foreseen in the launch of novelties affects the new books by such media authors as Paulo Coehlo, Neil Gaiman, Camilla Lackberg, Hillary Mantel, Màxim Huerta or Manolo García . A meeting is scheduled for Tuesday to decide what measures to take regarding the celebration of Sant Jordi, Book Day, the key date of the book business. Its possible cancellation will, of course, have effects on the rest of the sector.

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  • Màxim Huerta
  • book Fair
  • culture
  • Sant Jordi
  • literature
  • poetry

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