According to preliminary data published by the organization this Monday, the Lisbon Book Fair is estimated to reach more than a million visitors this year and a sales result higher than in 2023.
“There is a huge possibility that we have exceeded the target of one million visitors, which once again proves that the fair is fulfilling its role in improving reading and literacy levels,” the president of the Portuguese Association of Editors told Luce and Booksellers (APEL). , which organizes the Lisbon Book Fair.
In terms of sales, targets also exceeded expectations, with “most employees” saying the fair, which ran from May 29 to June 16, “went better than in the past,” according to Pedro Sobral. last year”.
From what was observed, in addition to the increase in the number of visitors, there were “much more people with books,” he added, clarifying that it is already possible to state the fact that “71% of the visitors who visited the book fair had to buy.”
“Previously, most people went to the fair to take a walk, but now they take the opportunity and buy anything. Now this is not the case, now people are starting to go more and more with the purpose of buying,” he emphasized.
The question now remains whether people are reading more because “buying books is one thing and reading is another”, but that will be known in September when research on the topic is presented on Monday. publication of Book 2.0,” said the person in charge.
This event, organized by APEL to discuss the future of books in Portugal and Europe, the first edition of which was published last year, will take place on September 5th and 6th at the Fundação Oriente in Lisbon, as well as the Belém Book Festival, with the active support of the President of the Republic.
“The most important thing is that we are going to present a study of book purchasing habits, complemented by a study of reading habits and indicators,” said Pedro Sobral, admitting that he was “interested to see the results” and understand whether the Portuguese are reading more.
The market continues to grow, a fact that leads us to believe that people are buying more books, but only research will show where this will lead, he added.
The APEL President also added that the second edition of Book 2.0 will also feature the results of “the research into the carbon footprint of the publishing and bookselling sector that appeared in the first edition.”
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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