28th Book Fair/ Publishers signal decline, higher costs and lack of infrastructure

2025-11-12 13:18:00, Aktualitet CNA

28th Book Fair/ Publishers signal decline, higher costs and lack of

On November 12-16, 2025, at the Palace of Congresses in Tirana, the 28th edition of the Book Fair will be held, one of the most important cultural and now also economic events in the country.

Organized by the Albanian Publishers Association, this edition comes with the motto "Our conscience needs books", inspired by the works of Ismail Kadare, focusing not only on reading as a cultural act, but also on the book industry as a sector with economic impact in the domestic market.

Around 100 publishing houses from Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia present new titles, translations, academic publications and children's literature, which are expected to generate a significant economic turnover in just five days of activity. The fair is a key moment for publishers' end-of-year sales, for promoting authors and for fostering commercial agreements between publishing houses and bookstores, which then continue throughout the winter season.

However, challenges remain evident. Publishers report a slight decline in the volume of new publications and a fragile distribution market, where the lack of a bookstore network outside major urban centers makes book circulation difficult.

According to the head of the Publishers Association, Petrit Ymeri, this comes at a time when readers are increasingly moving towards digital platforms, while formats such as e-books and audiobooks, although growing, do not yet have a stable market in Albania. He does not fail to mention piracy as a continuing concern.

He emphasizes that the fair also serves as an indicator of the health of the book industry, an industry that contributes to the country's creative economy, employs hundreds of authors, editors, translators and designers, and that needs institutional support to increase competitiveness.

The decline in physical book consumption, printing costs that have increased significantly following the paper and energy price crises, and the lack of fiscal support for publishers, are among the issues widely discussed by stakeholders in the field.

For many publishers, this edition is seen as a test of the sector's ability to adapt to the new digital reality and find new business models that connect traditional publishing with technology. Symbolically, this fair comes at a time when culture is seeking to regain its economic weight within the creative industries sector. /Monitor