By Carlo Carrenho, Contributing Editor
Among the headlines this week: Grupo Planeta returns to France with the launch of Éditions Planeta; bookstores in Argentina declare a state of emergency; the shifting landscape of the Swedish audio market; Romania’s VAT tax is hurting the book business; and a major publishing CEO’s take on AI.From Crema Catalana to Crème Brûlée: Planeta Returns to France
Livres Hebdo reports that Barcelona-based Grupo Planeta is returning to the French market with the launch of Éditions Planeta, eight years after selling Editis. Claire Do Sêrro, formerly head of foreign fiction at Robert Laffont, has been appointed executive editorial director of the Paris-based house, which will publish its first books in August 2027. Éditions Planeta plans to launch with around 10 titles before increasing output to approximately 20 books annually from 2028. Jesús Badenes, general manager of Grupo Planeta’s publishing division, said the new operation would draw on Editorial Planeta’s experience while developing its own identity in France.
Planeta’s return to France contrasts sharply with its previous presence in the market, when it owned Editis, today France’s second-largest trade publishing group, before selling it to Vivendi in 2019. An output of just 20 books a year is modest for a publishing group of Planeta’s scale and points to a deliberately restrained strategy. The appointment of Claire Do Sêrro is significant: she is highly regarded in the French market.
Argentina’s Booksellers Dance a Difficult Tango
Argentina’s Federación Argentina de Librerías, Papelerías y Afines (Argentine Federation of Bookstores, Stationery Stores and Related Businesses, FALPA) has declared a nationwide bookstore emergency after a survey of around 1,200 independent businesses found units sold fell 25% between January–August 2023 and the same period in 2026, while inflation-adjusted revenue dropped 41.5%, and real operating costs rose 31.1%. According to PublishNews Spain, FALPA is calling for enforcement of Argentina’s fixed book price law, VAT credit mechanisms, emergency financing, reduced postal rates, preference for local bookstores in public purchasing, and a National Book Roundtable. Fundación El Libro, organizer of the Buenos Aires International Book Fair, has backed the declaration and FALPA’s proposals, warning that neighborhood and provincial bookstores are important to bibliodiversity and the visibility of small and medium-sized publishers.
Argentina’s broader economic difficulties inevitably add another layer of pressure on bookstores already facing structural challenges. It is entirely reasonable for independent and medium-sized booksellers—and publishers—to press the government for measures that could help sustain the sector. Given the direction of Argentina’s current government, however, it is difficult to see substantial support of that kind materializing in the near term.
Japanese Publishers Take the Wheel
In Japan, Shinbunka reports that PubteX will launch a direct-delivery service in October for additional bookstore orders from shareholders Kodansha, Shogakukan, and Shueisha. Acting as logistics contractor, PubteX will initially serve six bookstore companies through Marubeni’s logistics network and partner carriers. The initiative is designed to address rising costs and trucking constraints as book shipment volumes decline, while eventually creating an open logistics platform for other publishers and booksellers. The service will cover only logistics and information flows for additional orders; new-title shipments, returns, ordered-book returns, and payments will remain with existing wholesalers.
Japan’s print market is being squeezed from both sides. Bookstores are disappearing—there are now fewer than 10,000—and weaker sales mean fewer shipments, making freight a bigger share of the cost of every book. At the same time, tighter rules on drivers’ working hours and new transport regulations are pushing logistics costs even higher. In that environment, it makes sense for three of Japan’s biggest publishers to take more control of distribution and, at least for additional orders, cut out a layer of the traditional supply chain. This is an industry looking for practical ways to survive a steep rise in costs.
In Sweden, Spotify Stirs the Pot While Audible Is About to Arrive
In an analysis for Svensk Bokhandel, Mediavision chief analyst Fredrik Liljeqvist writes that Sweden’s audiobook market is shifting from expanding access to competing for listening and subscriber loyalty. Mediavision reports that households with dedicated audiobook subscriptions have fallen 9%in a year, while Spotify’s entry has nearly doubled the number of households with audiobook access. Daily audiobook reach, however, remains around 15%, unchanged from before Spotify’s launch. Liljeqvist also points to Bonnier Books’ planned acquisition of Nextory, which, if approved, would leave Bonnier’s BookBeat and Nextory businesses in a position comparable with Storytel; together, the two groups would account for around two-thirds of Swedish audiobook subscriptions. Amazon’s Audible is also preparing a Swedish expansion with its own app, local content, and pricing in kronor.
Sweden may be the world’s most mature audiobook market, which makes Spotify’s impact particularly interesting to watch in its first full year in the country. The initial reaction was that Spotify would simply raise the tide and benefit everyone. Mediavision’s figures suggest a more complicated picture: the number of households with audiobook access has increased, while dedicated audiobook subscriptions have slipped. The estimates for the combined size of BookBeat and Nextory should also be taken with a grain of salt. If together they are comparable with Storytel, yet those three services account for two-thirds of the market, the remaining third would have to be divided among Spotify, Bokus Play and library apps—a split that is difficult to reconcile with the apparent scale of those players.
VAT Sucks the Blood Out of Romanian Books
In June, Forbes Romania senior editor Petre Barbu published a detailed overview of Romania’s publishing market based on the 2025 financial statements of 101 publishers, showing modest revenue growth alongside a significant decline in profitability. Barbu is now following that snapshot with a series of publisher interviews. Curtea Veche Publishing CEO Barna Nemethi says the VAT increase from 5% to 11% has contributed to weaker demand, postponed purchases, and lower print runs, while Nemira CEO Ana Lotts-Nicolau points to falling print runs and growing pressure on cash flow and profitability. Both argue for a reversal in the tax treatment of books, with Nemethi calling for a return to 5% VAT (and ultimately 0%) and Lotts-Nicolau advocating VAT exemption for physical and digital books.
There is not much to elaborate on here: increasing VAT on books is simply absurd. Other countries are moving in the opposite direction. Czechia has reduced VAT on books to 0%, while markets including Brazil and Mexico exempt books or apply a 0% rate, with Mexico now making further adjustments intended to favor booksellers. Europe should be moving toward 0% VAT on books as well. Raising the tax burden on books makes no sense.
The Portuguese Bookstore Where the Ticket Pays Off
Forbes Portugal reports that Porto’s Livraria Lello sold more than 120,000 books in August, a monthly record in the bookstore’s 120-year history. More than 80% of visitors now buy at least one book, up from fewer than 10% before 2015, while purchases per customer have also increased. Livraria Lello uses a ticket-voucher system that allows visitors to deduct the full admission price from a book purchase. The store now sells around 4,000 books a day and a new wing opened in June, expanding its area fivefold.
Livraria Lello is considered one of the world’s most beautiful bookstores, and its Neo-Gothic architecture has made it a major tourist attraction. For years, the owners complained that visitors came to see the store without buying books, until they introduced an admission ticket that can be used as credit toward a book purchase. The model has clearly boosted sales, while tickets that are not redeemed also contribute directly to revenue. It is a striking example of how thinking outside the box can help a bookstore succeed. The results also come amid broader strength in Portugal’s book market, with industry data showing real-term growth of more than 5% in 2025. Meanwhile, a recent NielsenIQ BookData study found that 78% of people aged 15 and over read at least one book in 2025, the highest level in three years.
A Postman in Japan, a Bookseller in Poland
Rynek Książki reports that Polish Post is strengthening the role of its branches as spaces for books and literary events through its “Placówka Kultura” project, which has staged nearly 50 meetings with writers and other cultural figures, and will continue this autumn. The initiative accompanies a broader expansion of book retail through the postal network. A similar model is being tested in Japan, where, according to AdverTimes, Poplar Publishing and Japan Post have begun selling children’s books at four post offices in Fukushima Prefecture, in communities without bookstores. The trial, prompted by the fact that 510 Japanese municipalities had no bookstore as of March 2026, runs through March 2027 and uses browsing displays installed in post-office lobbies.
It seems a smart use of a network that reaches places bookstores often do not. Post offices are present in towns and communities everywhere, making them natural potential outlets for bookselling as traditional postal business declines with digital communication. One could imagine taking the idea further: postal workers could distribute book catalogs, promote reading through visible campaigns, and even deliver books ordered through the post office. In that sense, the postal network could become not just another place to buy books, but part of the entire chain connecting readers with them.
Spotify Lets Indie AI Audiobooks Run Free
Spotify has expanded the beta of its Audiobook Creation Tools to English-language books from self-published authors in the United States. According to their announcement, the self-serve service uses ElevenLabs voice models to convert finished EPUB manuscripts into audiobooks, with authors able to select a voice, preview the narration, and approve it before publication. Authors can create up to five audiobooks free, with additional titles available by contacting “Spotify for Authors” support. The audiobooks can be published directly to Spotify without exclusivity requirements, while wider distribution is available through Spotify for Authors’ integration with Voices by INaudio. Spotify says titles using digital voice narration will be clearly labeled for listeners.
What stands out is the contrast with Audible’s approach. Spotify is accepting AI-generated audiobooks from different sources and now enabling independent authors to create their own using AI voices while retaining the ability to distribute them elsewhere. Audible, by contrast, only accepts AI audiobooks produced through its own systems and platforms for sale in its store. If this technology develops far enough, it could become a significant disruptor for the audiobook industry: eventually, audiobook files—and perhaps the format as we know it—could give way to ebooks narrated on demand.
A Big Five CEO Talks Dishwashing in Brazil
In an interview with Folha de S.Paulo during a visit to São Paulo, Penguin Random House CEO Nihar Malaviya described AI primarily as a tool to support commercial decision-making, including determining print and reprint quantities and selecting books to promote on Amazon and other online platforms. “Let AI wash the dishes so we can focus more on cooking,” he said, framing the technology as a way to handle routine tasks while leaving creative work to people. Malaviya also highlighted Brazil’s importance as a market with a strong base of readers and further growth potential, pointing to its young population and cultural and geographic diversity. Penguin Random House owns 85% of Companhia das Letras in Brazil.
The CEO of the world’s largest trade publishing group seems to be taking a pragmatic and healthy approach to AI: let’s focus on the cooking and leave the dishes to the robots, in the hope that readers will develop an even greater appetite for our publishing delicacies. Malaviya’s presence in Brazil is also telling, putting his words into action by visiting the market himself. Foreign observers have long seen Brazil’s potential, though Brazilians like to joke that “Brazil is the country of the future—and always will be.” Let’s hope that, in this case, Malaviya knows better than Brazil’s self-deprecating humor suggests.
What Else Caught My Eye
A bestseller bust. South Korean prosecutors have indicted an author and a publisher for allegedly buying 1,631 copies of the author’s new book to manipulate its bestseller ranking. According to AFPBB News.
A macho voice. Kraus Verlag is sending 150 picture books to 30 childcare centers in Germany and Austria, provided each recruits a male volunteer to read aloud. According to BuchMarkt.
A sound Big Mac. Storytel and McDonald’s have launched a Polish family audio series by children’s author Marcin Mortka, available through the McDonald’s app and Storytel Kids Mode. According to Rynek Książki.
A reading bitcoin. Singapore is rewarding citizens with virtual coins for reading at least 15 minutes a day. According to The Guardian.
A sold-out T-Rex. In Japan, all 4,000 copies of Gakken’s limited-edition Tyrannosaurus encyclopedia sold out in just 10 minutes and 37 seconds. According to Tokyo FM.
A jelly moai. Chilean Buscalibre has adopted Jellybooks DISCOVERY, bringing click-and-read book samples to readers across Latin America and the U.K. According to Andrew Rhomberg on LinkedIn.
A Dutch match. Hebban’s new BoekMatch feature lets Dutch readers swipe through personalized book recommendations and drew 50,000 swipes in its first weekend. According to inct.
A four-hour heist. A Chinese student used a custom Python-and-DeepSeek workflow to translate Murakami’s latest book and upload it to Z-Library within four hours of its Japanese release. According to Courrier Japon.
The writer of this column remembers his first visit to the beautiful city of Porto. He went to Livraria Lello, bought a book, and asked for just one little thing: a stamp inside it to prove it had been bought at that magnificent bookstore. They didn’t have one. A little frustrating, to be honest. Quite a contrast with today. Whenever he goes back to Porto, he can barely get into the bookstore because of the long lines of tourists outside. So, these days, he tends to skip the queue and have a glass of white Port instead at another neo-Gothic landmark in town: Café Majestic.
The writer of this column will also take part in the free-to-attend Media Transformation Summit, taking place online on September 29, where he will join Michele Cobb for a panel on streaming, business models and mature audio markets. Don’t miss it if you think Brazilian accents can be alluring.