(Read full article on agenda.ge)

The pandemic-hit years have impacted the Georgian publishers and booksellers through reduced sales and released books, with the first year of Covid-19 resulting in a 25 percent reduction of new releases and the past two years showing a 40 percent decrease in book sales, a new study of the sector shows.

Released  on Tuesday, the study of the local market was commissioned by the Georgian Publishers and Booksellers Association and the Writers’ House of Georgia from the Tbilisi-based Analysis and Consulting Team (ACT) company.

Involving a range of data, the report shows tendencies among readers, for bookshop sales, and publisher statistics. While extending back beyond 2020 in some figures, the particularly notable sections involve the numbers reflecting effects of the pandemic over the past two years.

The study shows a reduction both in the number of book titles sold in 2020 and 2021 – with a 17 percent decrease – as well as in the total number of sales, with readers purchasing 40 percent less books in the same time period. Reinforcing the data reflecting impacts of the coronavirus, a quarter less new titles were released in 2020 compared to the year before.