The production of book market statistics in Europe:: the work of the Federation of European Publishers

Abstract

The Federation of European Publishers (FEP) has been collecting, processing and publishing statistical data on the book market and the publishing sector in Europe for almost twenty years. This is an essential task to illustrate the sector's contribution to European culture and economy and ideally also useful to measure the impact of policies and other exogenous variables.

The main source of data for the FEP is the questionnaire it submits to its members annually. The survey results are analysed and where possible supplemented through other sources, mainly data from national statistical offices. The result is a fairly clear and reliable picture of the value of the book market in Europe in its main dimensions: turnover, titles published.

There are, however, significant difficulties, both with regard to the comprehensiveness and comparability of the information provided by the national associations, and with regard to the usability of the national statistics (and, by extension, those provided by Eurostat, the EU's statistical office). The FEP therefore appeals to the competent authorities to increase their efforts to improve the knowledge of the publishing sector in Europe.