After two very successful years for the publishing market, analysts predict that 2022 will be the year when print books take a hit. However, the hit is almost expected as the world learns to live with the pandemic and people take the plunge to leave their houses.
Kristen McLean, executive director and industry analyst for NPD and BookScan Books Group, pointed out this trend during a January 26th webinar. While book sales grew 8% in 2020 and 9% in 2021, the likelihood of sales continuing to increase is slim. The world is learning to live with the pandemic that once locked them inside, and we are already seeing a return to the workplace no matter where you are in the world. Because of this, people are spending less time indoors and more time in traffic. Unfortunately, this means a drop in book sales.
While people are expected to spend less time reading, analysts have also said that book sales will not drop as low as they did in 2019. This is another positive for the book industry as it means that people will continue to choose reading over other activities in their free time. We may be sending less time at home, but social media and the rise of BookTok have helped increase sales of books long since printed. And at the end of the day, this downfall is just a prediction. We cannot know how the publishing industry will do until the year is over. So go out there and buy more books!
Click here to read about the book industry’s record-breaking couple of years.
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