This is a comprehensive and insightful presentation about the Mexican book industry and its position within the global and Latin American market by Carlos Rojas during Readmagine 25. Rojas offered his personal perspective on the industry’s current state, challenges and opportunities and here is a short summary of ideas.
General economic context
Carlos explained the general position of Mexico in the world context and developed some details about «Plan México», an initiative aimed at improving the country’s economic situation, including job creation, international investment, and reducing poverty. However, the creative industries, like books and cinema, are not prioritised in these plans.
Mexican book industry
The industry is growing, with a 20% increase in titles published, though overall book production dropped due to the cessation of the government’s purchase of school books. The market is not a major contributor to Mexico’s GDP, accounting for only 0.5%. About 13% of the books sold are imported, mainly from Spain. There are challenges in growing the digital presence of books in Mexico.
Digital books & audiobooks
The digital book market is still in its infancy. Ebooks and audiobooks have shown some growth, especially during the pandemic, but the numbers are still small. The audiobook market is dominated by large companies like Random House and Planeta, but there are challenges in creating a sustainable market for audiobooks.
Relation to the Spanish market
Mexico plays a significant role in the Spanish book market. Many books from Spanish publishers are popular in Mexico, and the Mexican market represents a significant portion of sales for Spanish-language books.
Mexico is a strategic market due to its proximity to both the U.S. and the rest of Latin America.
Mexican publishers
There are three types of publishers in Mexico: international publishers with offices in Mexico, emerging Mexican publishers growing internationally, and independent publishers with a passion for producing books despite limited resources.
Challenges
The industry faces a lack of regulations, such as the absence of a fixed price law, a meta-database for books, and the government’s neglect of creative industries.
Digital book formats, such as eBooks and audiobooks, have low penetration and are still developing in Mexico.
The future of digital & print-on-demand
Print-on-demand is an emerging option, but the Mexican market has yet to fully embrace it. Despite challenges, there are signs of growth, especially in audiobooks, where there is significant interest and expectations for future growth.
Carlos seemed hopeful about the future but recognizes the industry’s dependence on the Spanish book market and the barriers to expanding the digital and print-on-demand sectors.
You can follow in this video the whole interesting view into how Mexico is positioning itself within the broader Latin American and Spanish book industry landscape.
Carlos Rojas Urrutia is currently Head of Spanish Language Content at the Digital Publishing Division of Zebralution GmbH, a German distributor of audio and digital content. He is also a founding partner of Lecturable, a Mexican agency focused in designing strategies for the publishing industry. Prior to these activities, he was general manager of MVB América Latina, an international subsidiary of tools and solutions for the book industry related to the business area of the Frankfurter Buchmesse. He also collaborated in areas related to promotion and development of reading programs in various Mexican institutions, as well as in the Mexican bookstore chains of Fondo de Cultura Económica, Educal and Gandhi.
