The Velvet
(Reading) Revolution
FROM PUBLISHING
TRENDS (OCTOBER 2003)
As
Publishing Trends rolls
out its bestseller lists for the Czech and Slovak Republics
(see article), we herewith
offer a brief survey of this modest but dynamic literary
landscape, as sales rise in Wal-Mart-esque chains, and
pivot sharply toward nonfiction.
Though
Czech readers have long lapped up the likes of Stephen
King, Danielle Steel, and Tom Clancy,
a minor reading revolution is under way in the nation:
the demand for fiction in the Czech Republic has drastically
slackened of late, and most publishers there are now
concentrating on nonfiction, according to a pre-Frankfurt
market report on conditions in the Czech and Slovak
book markets just released by Prague-based literary
agent Kristin Olson. Some publishers have cut
fiction to only 20% or less of their list, as demand
ramps up for illustrated books on crafts, hobbies, and
do-it-yourself home projects. The total market now breaks
down to about 60% general nonfiction, 25% fiction, 11%
textbooks, and 4% children’s titles. (Original Czech
language publications amount to 70%, translations 30%.)
Olson, who represents publishers from the US and UK,
and sells translation rights for their books to Czech
and Slovak publishers, adds that concentration in the
retail market continues, as successful booksellers continue
to expand into chains, while book superstores set up
shop in Prague and Wal-Mart-esque commercial
chains like Tesco start to sell more books as
well.
On the bright side, though swaths of the Czech Republic
were engulfed by some of the worst floods to hit Europe
in over 200 years last summer, book production for 2002
remained impressively resilient. The industry kicked
out 10,412 titles, according to Jaroslav Cisar,
Secretary of the Association of Czech Booksellers
and Publishers, which is nearly identical to previous
years in which the Czech book sector recorded its highest
ever number of published titles. Unfortunately, by most
accounts print runs are continuing to drop (averaging
2,500 copies for both fiction and nonfiction; up to
6,000 for solid bestsellers), leading publishers to
put out more titles in smaller print runs in an attempt
to maintain the same financial turnover. Reorders are
rare, and a new title can be fated for remainderdom
within weeks or months of publication.
Perhaps the most notable change in the past year has
taken place in the Czech children’s book market. While
last year there were only two children’s publishers
focusing on nonfiction titles, and two tackling fiction,
Harry Potter novels have helped open up
the market a bit, with publishers starting to take an
interest in contemporary series fiction, fantasy for
children, and contemporary novels. With the average
retail price of a children’s book hovering around $2.50,
there is little hope that a market will emerge for children’s
picture books, as production costs are simply too burdensome.
Publishers rely heavily on original Czech or Slovak
writers and illustrators because it is often too expensive
to license translations. In another growing segment,
expect to see more successes along the lines of Bridget
Jones’ Diary, as Czech publishers continue to build
marketing strategies for film tie-ins, with posters
promoting both the book and the film.
English accounts for the largest share of any translated
language in the Czech Republic (over 50%), with German
and French next in line. While translations from Polish
are on the rise, interest is waning for Slovak books.
By all accounts, Czech and Slovak are closely related,
and are understandable to speakers of either language.
As Lucie Straková of Andrew Nurnberg Associates
in Prague reports, the “Czech market is of course
much bigger and stronger so that’s where we make most
of our deals.” Other factors are diminishing the prospects
for Slovak publishing as well. As day-to-day communication
between the two countries gets less frequent, Czechs
are becoming less comfortable reading in Slovak. And
because Czech editions are widely distributed and sold
in Slovakia, a Slovak edition has little chance of succeeding
if a Czech edition has been published first. (Incidentally,
most contracts negotiated before the split of Czechoslovakia
have expired by now, but even before the split, separate
contracts were concluded for each language.) Unemployment
in the Slovak Republic is up to 18.5%, making conditions
there worse than ever. However, Vienna-based agent Ilene
Kreshka of Transnet Contracts Ltd. reports
that she notices a perhaps hopeful shift toward “higher
quality commercial fiction and literary fiction.”
©2003
Publishing Trends
