Czech book market turns new page
New data released by the Czech Association of Booksellers and Publishers has confirmed that Czechs belong among Europe’s biggest bookworms. According to the survey, released this week, Czechs spent around 7.5 billion crowns on books in 2015, which is about five percent more than in the previous year.
In January 2015, Value Added Tax on books dropped to 10 percent from the 15 percent applied in the previous two years. Nevertheless, VAT on books in the Czech Republic still remains one of the highest among European countries.
The report by the Czech Association of Booksellers and Publishers shows that the share of online bookshops in 2015 rose to around 25 percent.
The electronic books market amounted to 106 million crowns, including VAT. That figure made up 1.38 percent of the total turnover of the Czech book market. Out of the newly published books last year, eight percent were also available in an electronic form.
The market for audio books has also been also rising. Last year, it amounted to almost 82 million crowns, compared with 55 million in 2014.
According to the Association of Booksellers and Publishers, around 16,600 book titles were published in the Czech Republic last year, which is about 400 less than in 2014. The highest number of books, 885, was published by the Albatros Media group which has been the market leader since 2011.
In terms of annual turnover, the Euromedia Group publishing house is number one with 1.305 billion crowns and the sales of their own books amounted to 546 million in 2015. Albatros Media had a total turnover of 759 million crowns and the sales of its own books amounted to 728 million between July 2015 and June 2016.
