Nicolas Carreau 09:27, July 06, 2022
This could be the black novel of the summer: the shortage of paper in publishing houses.
This shortage is an effect of the health crisis and, more recently, the war in Ukraine.
Prices are skyrocketing and delivery times drag on two months before the start of the literary season, the worst time for the sector.
Until now, there were reserves of paper, but the situation is becoming critical.
Between 30 and 50% increase.
With the big publishers, we can cope, with the small independents, it's harder.
Dominique Bordes, from the independent house Toussaint Louverture, paid 650 euros per ton.
It's 950 euros now.
A burst of energy that is expensive
"I have a very strong demand for papers other than paper for publishing. Papers, for example, for drug dosages, cardboard paper for sending. So there has been an inflation that does not has stopped growing in recent months, plus the energy crisis", underlines Dominique Bordes on Europe 1.
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A paper mill is like an oven, an expensive waste of energy.
And you also have to take into account transport.
And, there are few solutions.
Because it is complicated to increase the price of books.
So we have to do it differently.
"Me, I am postponing a book which has a very good paper, but I cannot do it at the moment because otherwise it would have an absurd price. I hope that the crisis will pass. And if not, afterwards, we can lower the weight. This will mechanically lower the whole weight that we will consume since we consume per ton. And that's how we calculate", explains Dominique Bordes at the microphone of Europe 1 .
Most publishers are cutting back.
490 novels will be released at the start of the literary season, at the end of August, compared to 521 last year.