Book sales declined sharply in French-speaking Belgium in 2023 while Flemish bookshops recorded stable and even increased performance.
Sales fell by 6% in Wallonia in 2023, one of the worst annual drops in Western Europe, according to market research group GfK: France fell by 5% and the UK by 4%, while Flanders, Portugal and Spain all recorded increases of between 1% and 4%.
In Francophone Belgium, 16.8 million books were sold, representing an estimated €219 million in profit. Main losses occurred between May and June and between August and September. The downward trend is expected to continue into 2024.
One of the worst-hit categories was books for young people, where sales have fallen by 20% since 2020. Practical books relating to hobbies such as cooking and gardening are down by 11% compared to the previous year.
Meanwhile, 'general literature' is enjoying increased popularity, making up 28% of the market. Paperbacks accounted for two thirds of sales within this segment. Despite emerging as one of the stronger categories, there was nonetheless a marked decline in bestsellers in 2023, with only four titles selling more than 20,000 copies. The average number of copies sold was 252 for the whole year.
French crime fiction, new romance, 'romantasy' (new romance in a fantastical setting) and science fiction captured readers' attention more than any other genre. Contemporary novels are expected to dominate statistics for the first quarter of 2024.
The fall of the comic strip
The comic strip experienced the sharpest drop in 2024. Despite making up 28% of overall sales (and therefore ahead of the rest), comic strip sales fell by 8% in 2024. This was worst-felt in manga (down by 14%), and in particular 'shonen' manga (down by 16%), which is geared towards pre-teenagers aged between ten and 15.
The Adventures of Tintin. Credit: Jilke Tielemans / The Brussels Times
However, iconic Belgian comics seem to have escaped the blow. Asterix and Gaston featured in the top ten annual sales and the success of these titles are projected to remain stable into 2024.
The Brussels-Capital Region has just classified comic strips as intangible cultural heritage, making it the first Belgian region to do so. Brussels State Secretary for Heritage Ans Persoons (Vooruit) refers to comic strips as "one of the most important symbols of Brussels" and hopes that Hergé's first Tintin comic strip will obtain UNESCO status on its 100th anniversary in 2029.
