Book sales set to jump by 10 per cent

This looks like an unstable year for the economy but a good one for publishers and booksellers, as they are predicting sales will increase by Bt1.7 billion, or about 10 per cent.

The Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand sees turnover reaching Bt18.5 billion this year, from last year's estimated Bt16.8 billion.

President Thanachai Santichaikul yesterday said the rise in the number of publishers from 374 in 2003 to 492 last year indicated a steady growth in demand.

Worapan Lokitsataporn of Sataporn Books said many small players had grown, increasing their bargaining power when it came to selling their books. The same thing happened to medium-sized publishers, five of which have moved up the food chain. The association classifies large publishers as recording revenues of more than Bt100 million.

However, more books does not translate into more sales, because space is limited.

Thanawat Ongcharoen of Sengho Bookstore said retailers had been faced with the perennial problem of lack of shelf space. This has fostered a Hollywood style of retailing, with books pulled out and relegated to the back of the store if they "tank" in the first few weeks.

The consensus at the association's panel discussion was a mixture of optimism and worry.

Amarin Publishing managing director Rarin Utakapun said historically book sales had been good during economic downturns. Rarin, whose publishing company spearheaded the spiritual and religious genre, said people needed some sort of spiritual and psychological guidance during times of depression.

Bliss Publishing managing director Laddawan Rattanadilokchai said publishers should put more emphasis on branding.

"There's no such thing as segments or even fragments now. We need some classification more detailed than this," said Laddawan of the need for niches.

Rarin said her Health and Cuisine magazine survived largely because it positioned itself as a food magazine focusing on healthy diets and dieting.

All the talk is akin to chasing the wind when an average reader only buys one-and-a-half books a year, statistically at least, accounting for 0.18 per cent of the average annual income per head.

Thanachai urged the government to foster a reading culture and concentrate more on filling shelves with books, rather than increasing the number of libraries.

Ki Nan Tsui

Thailand News
The Nation Thailand
Friday January 26, 2007