Odysseus Rising
FROM PUBLISHING
TRENDS (AUGUST 2002)
As
globalization and its discontents continue to rumble
across European book markets, among those nations bidding
earnestly for a share of multinational manna is that
one-time world titan, Greece. Casting its former Hellenocentric
viewpoint to the Aegean winds, this nation has set a
steady course for cosmopolitan literary exchange — or
at least that’s the official word on the matter. “In
the last three years, interest in Greek literature on
the part of foreign publishers has increased significantly,”
Christos Lazos, Director of the National Book
Centre of Greece, recently declared, talking up
a whole host of efforts to boost foreign exports of
its literary goods — including government funding of
translations, collaborations with foreign publishers,
and a broad burst of literary initiatives flowing from
Greece’s 1980 entry into the European Union. As one
publication recently announced, the entire tide of Greek
fiction has turned “from local history to the global
individual.”
And that individual, some contend, is a ferocious reader.
“The Greek reading public is seriously underestimated,”
says former Oceanida Publisher Nikos Megapanos,
“both in its size and its quality.” He estimates that
at least 300,000 Greeks are out there reading an average
of eight books each year. Though initial print runs
tend to be around 3,000 copies, bestsellers will top
the 8,000-copy mark, with some titles selling over 150,000.
“If a publisher reprints within the year, he is more
than happy,” Megapanos adds.
Over the last decade, however, Greek publishing has
been reaching maturity, and hitting some roadbumps along
the way. Small publishers have been falling off the
shelf, while large media groups such as Lambrakis
are jumping into book publishing and “bringing a lot
of confusion to the market with their aggressive marketing,”
according to Megapanos, who’s launching a new magazine
for books this fall. “But my judgment is that they are
in for a few surprises. Small publishers with clearly
defined markets have nothing to fear so far.”
Regarding the ever-sensitive issue of pricing, Tassos
Papanastassiou at publisher Ellinika Grammata
tells us that, in line with EU recommendations,
retail discounting in the nation is held to a maximum
of 10% for the first two years after a book’s publication,
but following that period (and assuming there is no
reprint), prices may be freely slashed. The tax-man
looms, however, as the government is currently working
on a law that would tax booksellers according to their
inventory, and not according to sales. Publishers fear
such a law would force retailers to return truckloads
of stock to publishers during the Christmas holidays,
when the fiscal period essentially ends, causing pandemonium
for the whole business.
Where sales are concerned, it seems foreign publishers
are well positioned: children’s books and translated
foreign fiction are among the bestselling categories
in Greece (and the majority of children’s books are
imported, prized for their high-quality illustrations).
Interestingly, study guides have also been top-sellers,
vacuumed up by frantic students as new requirements
for university entrance exams have sent them scurrying
for the Greek version of Cliffs Notes. All in
all, says Costas Voukelatos, publisher of the
statistical magazine Ichneftis, 35% of the 6,500
titles published in Greece are translated from other
EU countries or the US. And English is by far the most-translated
language, accounting for 60% of translated titles.
But Oceanida’s scout, Mary Anne Thompson, observes
that the Greeks are not as aggressive as Holland, Germany,
or the UK in snapping up American titles. And according
to Cullen Stanley at Janklow & Nesbit,
“Greek publishers are more concerned about buying big
hits rather than creating a solid backlist, which would
help them build a stronger market.” That may be changing,
however. Marcella Berger, VP Sub. Rights at Simon
& Schuster, notes that apart from the obvious
bestsellers, Greeks seem to be buying more backlist
classics à la Norman Vincent Peale and Dale
Carnegie, indicating a more cautious approach. Whatever
their rationale, it seems to be paying off: Berger’s
sales to Greece have increased in the last three to
five years.
©2002
Publishing Trends
