“There is not just one book market. There are countless book markets.”
Simon Decot, Director of Programmes at Bastei Lübbe AG, on changing markets, the resonance of big names, and new target audiences as drivers of growth.
HAS THE BOOK MARKET GOT BIGGER OR SMALLER AS A RESULT OF DIGITALISATION?
Bigger and more multifaceted – both in terms of media channels and target audiences. Today there’s a lot more that we as a publishing group can offer our readers. For a long time now there’s been not just one book market, but many. This is a positive development not only in terms of content but in a financial sense too.
HOW MUCH CHANGE HAS THERE BEEN IN THE TARGET AUDIENCES THEMSELVES?
Not much when it comes to their needs. But what definitely has changed is that we speak to our target audiences more directly now. Our imprints LYX and ONE, for example, are aimed at young people at a specific stage in their lives. Many authors actually belong to the target audience themselves, and that’s really important. It gives them a huge amount of authenticity. People know and trust each other, including on social media.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR FUTURE PROGRAMME PLANNING AT A PUBLISHING GROUP LIKE BASTEI LÜBBE?
Firstly, we've seen that listening pays off. This is true not only of young people but of all target audiences. The more we understand, the more precisely we can plan and the more successful we will be. And it's important to be consistent when thinking about series and ranges. A good book always lives on – the story itself goes on being told, but the book is also listened to as an audiobook, commented on in a social media story, made into a TV series.
AND IS THIS A TREND THAT’S SET TO CONTINUE? WHAT DO YOU THINK THE BOOK MARKET WILL LOOK LIKE IN THE FUTURE?
I think the market's potential is far from exhausted. The book market is waiting for ideas, and we have always seen ourselves as a provider of ideas. This is also true of our attitude to the future: we follow technological developments closely so that we can identify any innovations for the book market which might arise from them. Over time we’ve gained a lot of experience when it comes to enriching the book market with innovations. That’s what we will measure ourselves against.
