French publishers voice concerns over rise in used book sales

French President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement of a new tax on used book sales to protect new books is the latest proposal from a government with a history of intervening in the publishing industry to keep it afloat.

While the used book market is on the rise in France, the Emmaus charity – a third of whose online revenue comes from books – is raising the alarm over unfair competition from online retailers.

Macron has proposed adding a tax to used book sales, which he says would help publishers, authors and translators.

Speaking at the annual Paris book fair last weekend, Macron said that used books – most of which are sold on major online retail platforms like Amazon – posed a competitive threat to the price of new books in France.

Culture Minister Rachida Dati would give details of how this contribution would work at a future date, he added.

Used books on rise

Used books do compete with publishers, with lower prices that have become more attractive during times of inflation.

A study by the Culture Ministry and the French authors’ rights association Sofia published earlier this month found that the number of people buying used books is going up, while the number of new book sales are staying flat.

Nearly 20 percent of books sold in 2022 were used, though the market value is much lower because of their lower prices.

By some estimates, the used book market is €888 million compared to the €4.3 billion market for new books.

Read more on RFI English

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