Dan Brown, lifestyle books top sales in Romania

According to a statistics made by the Diverta network, the book market in Romania reported a descending trend in 2010, resulting in a slump by approximately 15 per cent compared to 2009. The Romanian book market is estimated at EUR 60 M, without including the kiosk editions, published by the major local dailies. In Romania, book consumption is 1 volume/ capita, compared to 8 to 10 volumes in Poland or Hungary. The average price of a book is RON 19.16, rising by 2 per cent compared to the preceding year. The best-selling book of 2010 is a volume teaching us how to lead a healthy life and how to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy food. “Si noi ce mai mancam” (What’s on the menu), written by professor Gheorghe Mencini­copschi, is the year’s best-seller, followed by “The Lost Symbol”, Dan Brown’s latest, and “Eat, pray, love”, by Elizabeth Gilbert. The next positions are claimed by: “The Secret” (Rhonda Byrne, at no. 4), “Even Back Then, the Fox Was the Hunter” (Herta Muller – no. 5), “The Winner Stands Alone” (Paulo Coelho – no. 6), “Some Answers” (Mihaela Radulescu – no. 7). At number 8, we find another book by Gheorghe Mencinicopschi, “Si noi ce mai mancam… ca sa slabim” (What’s on the menu… to lose weight), followed by Mircea Carta­rescu (“Frumoasele straine”/ Beautiful Strangers) and Monica Vlad (“Trei vieti. Pedeapsa”/ Three Lives. Punishment). In terms of the number of copies sold, Rao Publi­shing ranks first, followed by the Corint Group and Polirom. The other positions are claimed, in this order, by Litera, Trei, Humanitas, Curtea Veche, Nemira, All and Girasol. As regards fields of interest, in 2010 Romanians preponderantly read fiction (27.1 pc), children’s books (18.1 pc), hobby books (10.6 pc) and self-help books (10.3 pc). As far as foreign language books are concerned, consumers were more res­trained in 2010, and the average value of the shopping basket drop­ped. The foreign language book market fell by approximately 25 per cent compared to 2009. For 2011, estimates indicate similar levels to 2010, with a potential for slight growth at the end of the year. The best levels in foreign book sales are reported in Bucharest, a trend explainable both in terms of better pay, as well as by the number of expats, which is higher than in other regions.