From Norway, A Global Book Report

As snow fell in Oslo, the book business in Europe felt a chill.

In Oslo, Norway, earlier this week, at an annual meeting of trade book publishing reporters and editors from across Europe and the Americas, snow fell outdoors. Indoors, the weather was mixed.

“From Benedicte Page in the UK at The Bookseller, I learned that 2017 was an unspectacular year—revenues were up very slightly, but units decreased by almost three percent – a mirror image of the U.S. market,” reports Andrew Albanese, Publishers Weekly senior writer.

“In France, Fabrice Piault of Livres Hebdo reported, sales were down 1.1% in 2017. In Germany, Thomas Wilking from Buchreport reported that sales were down 2%, and that the demand for books was clearly declining,” he tells CCC’s Chris Kenneally.

Every Friday, CCC’s “Beyond the Book” speaks with the editors and reporters of “Publishers Weekly” for an early look at the news that publishers, editors, authors, agents and librarians will be talking about when they return to work on Monday.