Pocket books become more expensive - criticized by booksellers

Many bookstores now fear that it will drive up the prices of pocket books and reduce sales, reports Svensk Bookstore.

-If you do not believe that sales go down when you raise prices, you are wrong. It's very short-term, says Torbjörn Elbe, sales manager at Pocketshop.

Sales of pocket books decreased by 6.7 percent in 2019 compared to 2018. All booksellers with whom the magazine talked are skeptical of the new price categories, which will mainly apply to the remaining books from one year's publication, the so-called backlist. According to Norstedt's sales manager, you need to raise prices in order to keep older titles in stock.

The bookstores say they will now consider boycotting categories L and M, once introduced.