The total sales of domestic publications, including books and magazines, are estimated to have decreased by about 6% from last year, and are expected to be below the previous year for the 18th consecutive year.
According to a summary of the Research Institute of Publishing Science, which conducts surveys and research on the publishing industry, the sales of books and magazines published in Japan this year are estimated based on the sales performance from January to last month, compared to last year. It is expected to decrease by about 6% to 1.13 trillion yen, which is the 18th consecutive year of decline from the previous year.
Of these, only book sales increased for the first time in 15 years due to an increase in the number of people spending time at home due to the influence of the new corona last year, but this year is expected to decline significantly from the previous year. I was.
By genre of books, although demand for "maps and guides" including travel guide books increased from the previous year due to a recovery in demand for domestic travel, other books such as "literary books" and "business books" increased. The genre has fallen sharply.
Sales of magazines are also expected to decline by nearly 10% compared to last year, when there were a series of hit manga.
According to the Institute of Publishing Science, ``This year, prices of various products have risen one after another due to price increases, and consumers have refrained from buying. The average price of new books has also increased by 2% compared to the same period last year. and is expected to rise further in the years to come.”