Global Publishing Updates: September 21, 2026

Grupo Planeta, based in Barcelona, will launch Éditions Planeta in France, eight years after selling Editis. Claire Do Sêrro, previously the head of foreign fiction at Robert Laffont, will serve as the executive editorial director. The new Paris-based publisher aims to release about 10 titles starting in August 2027 and increase to 20 titles annually by 2028. Jesús Badenes, the general manager of Grupo Planeta’s publishing division, noted the operation would leverage the company's experience while establishing its identity in the French market.

In Argentina, the Federación Argentina de Librerías, Papelerías y Afines (FALPA) has declared a nationwide bookstore emergency after a survey showed a 25% drop in books sold from January to August 2023 compared to the same period in 2026. Revenue, adjusted for inflation, decreased by 41.5%, while operating costs increased by 31.1%. FALPA is advocating for the enforcement of a fixed book price law, VAT credit mechanisms, emergency financing, and support for local bookstores.

Japan is also seeing changes in the publishing landscape. According to Shinbunka, PubteX will introduce a direct-delivery service for bookstore orders starting in October, collaborating with major publishers Kodansha, Shogakukan, and Shueisha. This initiative aims to mitigate rising costs and logistics issues associated with declining shipment volumes.

In Sweden, Mediavision's chief analyst Fredrik Liljeqvist revealed that the audiobook market is transitioning to a competitive landscape focused on subscriber loyalty. Despite Spotify's entrance nearly doubling access to audiobooks, dedicated subscriptions have dropped 9% over the past year. Bonnier Books is planning to acquire Nextory, intensifying market competition. Amazon’s Audible is also gearing up to enter Sweden.

Romania's publishing market has been impacted by an increase in VAT from 5% to 11%, leading to weakened demand and reduced print runs. Publisher executives like Barna Nemethi and Ana Lotts-Nicolau are advocating for lower VAT rates or exemptions to ease the fiscal burden on book sales.

Livraria Lello in Porto, Portugal, sold over 120,000 books in August, marking a record for the bookstore which has been implemented a ticket-voucher system. This scheme allows visitors to use their admission payment toward book purchases and has significantly raised the proportion of visitors who buy books.

In Poland, the Postal Service is enhancing its branches as literary venues through the “Placówka Kultura” initiative, while a similar model is being trialed in Japan to provide bookstore access to communities lacking them.

Spotify has expanded its Audiobook Creation Tools for independent authors in the U.S., facilitating the production of AI-generated audiobooks, unlike Audible, which controls its own content.

Nihar Malaviya, CEO of Penguin Random House, spoke on AI's role in publishing during an interview in São Paulo, viewing it as a tool for optimizing operational tasks while promoting creative endeavors. He emphasized Brazil's growing market potential.

Additionally, notable news includes an indictment in South Korea for alleged manipulation of bestseller rankings, innovative child literacy initiatives in Germany and Austria, a new collaboration between Storytel and McDonald’s for family audio content, and an initiative in Singapore rewarding citizens for reading.