France's literary market has great potential, yet big firms remain reluctant to learn the language of international rights trading
If population forecasts are correct, publishers could be tapping into a market of around 700 million French speakers by the middle of the century. Photograph: Alamy
Six thousand languages are spoken worldwide, but few have a market for books. French is the fifth-largest language pool, coming after Chinese, English, Spanish and Hindi. So there is a sense of responsibility for the transmission of knowledge.
How are the book markets organised in the four post-colonial language pools of English, Spanish, French and Portuguese? How have they evolved since we gained access to the internet, with the increasing circulation of published materials, ideas and people, and deepening cultural and commercial links? Depending on the language, the picture is very different.
The market for books in English is by far the largest, and is driven by vigorous marketing. It leads the pack in terms of professionalism, innovation and its record for initiating long-term trends. The Spanish market, meanwhile, is extremely buoyant due to rising living standards in Latin America and public policies to promote books and reading.
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How are the book markets organised in the four post-colonial language pools of English, Spanish, French and Portuguese? How have they evolved since we gained access to the internet, with the increasing circulation of published materials, ideas and people, and deepening cultural and commercial links? Depending on the language, the picture is very different.
The market for books in English is by far the largest, and is driven by vigorous marketing. It leads the pack in terms of professionalism, innovation and its record for initiating long-term trends. The Spanish market, meanwhile, is extremely buoyant due to rising living standards in Latin America and public policies to promote books and reading.
More
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