I’ve just returned from the Frankfurt Book Fair, the 76th edition. For me, it was year 11 since my first visit in 2014. It’s a fact that Frankfurt remains – or is working to remain – the epicenter of the book world every year. The fair has made efforts in recent years to position itself not only as an annual and global industry gathering but also as a trendsetter and a space where current challenges and future possibilities are discussed.
The fair has shrunk in size – those who have attended for a long time remember what Hall 8 used to be – and has suffered a decline in attendance during the pandemic years. At the same time, it reported a 9% growth in attendance this year. Personally, I felt that some stands, whether from countries or publishers, were smaller, but I wouldn’t dare to say this represents a decline or a decrease in the fair’s importance. For me, Frankfurt continues to be the world capital for 5 days, every October.
And since we’re assuming here that Frankfurt brings together, in just a few days, many of the minds who think, live, and build the world of books, it’s possible to say that we get a sense of where we are heading – or at least where we want to go – as an industry and as producers and disseminators of knowledge and culture. Some topics have gained momentum, others have become background noise, and some emerge as leading novelties from one year to the next. I’d like to talk about a few of them.
**Digital Books**
I clearly remember my first visit in 2014 when talking about e-books was still a novelty, and the apocalyptic prophecies about the end of printed books were still being debated. E-books had few business models; they were trying to emulate the physical book model while also experimenting with new forms of distribution and commercialization. I no longer see this happening. I get the feeling that digital books are now part of most publishers’ operations (some more, some less) and have settled in as a complement to the still-dominant printed book market. There is talk of market shares in the double digits in mature countries and slow but steady acceleration in emerging markets.
In other words, e-books are here to stay, part of the industry, but they don’t receive nearly the same attention as their more prominent sibling at the moment: audiobooks.
**Audiobooks**
The resurgence of audiobooks began to take stronger shape around 2017-2018, primarily with the Nordic revolution, led by Storytel and later BookBeat and other players, along with the international and global expansion of Audible. It’s always good to remember that audiobooks are not a new format, but what has changed – and dramatically – are the business models and the way these contents are distributed, especially with the emergence of apps.
Besides having an interesting presence at the fair, almost uninterrupted (except during the pandemic years), audiobooks have proven to be a format with great potential to reach non-readers or casual readers, considering it’s a format that fits perfectly into today’s connected, mobile, and multitasking routines.
To the Nordic revolution and the rapid march of the Seattle giants, another market outlier has joined in recent years: Spotify. Also with Scandinavian roots, but with its life divided between Europe and NYC, Spotify seems to have taken on the challenge of finally massifying audiobook consumption. To the point where they publicly declared that they want to do for audiobooks what they’ve done for podcasts around the world (and significantly in Brazil).
It’s clear that audiobooks have been one of the possible paths for the industry in recent years, in terms of scale, reach, longevity, and relevance. Whether the music giant will become the audiobook giant, time will tell. But since their announcement – and with an operational and temporal hiatus – they’ve been expanding and launching their offering in more and more countries; a day before the fair, they announced the arrival of audiobooks for their subscribers in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.
One noticeable aspect of the growth of audiobooks is the physical growth of the space dedicated to the format. Curated by Brazilian Carlo Carrenho, the space nearly doubled in size from one year to the next, and it was interesting to see the diversity of audio-focused companies that had stands in the area and were circulating there. Not to mention the many panels and talks dedicated to the topic and even a party, Audiomania.
**Artificial Intelligence**
Of course, we can’t leave this topic out. It’s becoming an increasing part of our lives, whether through the use many of us make of ChatGPT or through recent videos of Tesla robots preparing drinks.
It’s a fact that AI has sparked many discussions in the industry. Some revolve around how AI tools can help in editorial processes, marketing campaigns, and optimizing book stages, from conception to distribution. Others, the majority, concern the fears and apprehensions about companies and software misusing authors’ content worldwide to train their LLMs (large language models).
A few days before the fair, the European Union announced an important – yet to be practically implemented – move to regulate the use of content for these purposes. It seems to be a first sign of respect for intellectual property and authors’ rights.
But two things became very clear to me at the fair: first, that AI is – and will be – a revolution on the scale of the internet, and by the time we realize it, it will have already changed our lives forever. Second, as an industry, we’ll have to work hard to ensure ethical and responsible use of all human creation; past, present, and especially future.
Besides these topics, there are, of course, others. The constant and massive rights trading, Italy as the guest of honor country that treated us to a beautiful and sophisticated space, and all the behind-the-scenes conversations.
Another highlight was the much-talked-about panel of former Hachette CEO Arnaud Nourry, who formed a collective of independent publishers in Paris, in a nearly co-publishing model, as a way of strengthening the group and increasing negotiating power. A different and quite interesting initiative.
Looking at all this, and combining it with what I’ve observed about content consumption in general – including but not limited to books – I take the liberty of thinking about possible directions for where we as an industry could look, not only to keep books relevant but also to grow as an industry so that books are truly present in more people’s lives.
Where I would look:
**Digital consumption: it’s undeniable that contemporary life revolves around the internet and, even more so, around mobile phones. This being a fact, it’s important for the industry to increasingly focus on the most widely available device – almost all the time – for book consumption: the mobile phone.
**Reading and community: more and more, reading no longer needs to be an individual activity. The connectivity offered by social networks allows reading to be a collective experience, strengthening communities, both in terms of retaining readers and fostering a new generation interested in books.
**Audio: consuming various types of content in audio form has always been part of our lives, but there are more and more options for consuming stories by listening, and many AI models have audio as their primary interaction source. Audio will continue to grow.
**AI as an ally: let’s admit that it’s here to stay. That said, there are already many tools that can help the daily work of the entire industry, and it’s increasingly important to benefit from and nurture these tools. They can help optimize many hours of the day and allow you to focus on what is most important and unique as a book professional, whether it’s creating stories or strategizing how to reach more places and people.
And you, where do you think the world of books is heading?
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