Japanese comics appearing as the “most dynamic” publishing sector: with 23 million copies sold in the first half, manga sales have more than doubled in France in three years, according to figures released on Saturday by the specialist firm GfK.
Over the first six months of the year, manga sales grew by 14 million copies compared to the same period in 2019, an increase of 168%.
Compared to the first half of 2021, a record year for the book market in France, manga sales increased by 15% (+3 million copies), even though all the other categories recorded a drop over the period. (-3% for modern fiction or -10% for genre comics, for example).
Novels, the most popular genre
In total, all genres combined, “143 million new printed books” were sold in the first half of 2022 for a turnover of more than 1.6 billion euros, down slightly, both in volume and in value, 5% compared to the first half of 2021.
“However, the market remains more than 10% higher than the 2019 level of activity,” said a Gfk consultant, Casseline Rosello, quoted in the firm’s press release. And novels remain the most popular genre in France, with 29.8 million copies stamped “modern fiction” sold between January and June 2022.
As proof, eight “modern fiction” titles make up the Top 10 of the most purchased books in the first half, dominated by The Alaska Sanders case by Joël Dicker, followed by the novel The Big World: The Glorious Years by Pierre Lemaitre andAnnihilate by Michel Houellebecq.