No books being read due to economic crisis

Tuğçe Çelik

The 10th Üsküdar Book Days, held this year in Üsküdar, Istanbul, is welcoming readers at the Harem Event Area until 4 May. Organised by the Üsküdar Municipality under the slogan ‘Reading is Freedom,’ the fair features over 200 publishing houses. However, the economic crisis has left its mark on the fair, which aims to bring readers and publishers together. Both publishers and readers have complained about rising costs, saying that buying books has become a luxury. On the fifth day of the fair, we visited publishing house stands and spoke with staff members, who noted that despite the large venue, visitor numbers were low, student participation was limited and insufficient, citizens' purchasing power had declined, book prices were high, and readers were unable to make purchases.

Publishing house employees said that medium-sized boutique and independent publishing houses were facing bankruptcy, that the cost of paper imported from abroad was increasing, and that buying books had become a luxury. The answers to the question, ‘Have you made any sales today?’ revealed the dark side of the economic crisis. Some stands closed for the day without making a single sale, while others reported sales of between 700 and 1,500 lira (~20-40 USD). Stand staff, who were hoping for an increase in participants this weekend, continue to spend their own money on necessities such as transportation, food, tea, and coffee. At the fairground, some people are paying 15 lira for a cup of tea from a beverage stall, while others have set up their own tea machines at book stalls to make their own drinks.

NO MONEY LEFT TO SPEND ON CULTURE

Hüseyin Varış from the Publishers' Cooperative (YAYKOP) pointed out that book prices are high and that the few students who come to the stands leave without buying anything. Noting that imported paper has increased the cost of books, Varış said, “We can't sell what we want. This also means we can't reach readers. Without purchasing power, they struggle to buy books. Basic necessities come first. Culture and education come later” he said.

‘If the market continues like this, we will face significant challenges,’ Varış said, adding, ‘In the publishing world, when a book is printed, half of the retail price is given to distributors. They have their own sub-distributors, and when profit margins are considered, the publisher has to cover this cost as well. The publishing house covers numerous costs such as typesetting, royalties, printing, and stock. The cover price is determined accordingly. When distributed in this manner, the payment received from the distributor reaches the publishing house six months later. Returns also begin six months later. Thus, the actual sales figures emerge. This cycle is very risky for the survival of publishing houses.

Varış summarised as follows: ‘Currently, there are around 50 publishing houses that are partners of the Publishers’ Cooperative. This partnership brings many benefits to publishing houses. We plan to make the cooperative's operations more efficient and support publishers in promoting and selling books. It would be appropriate for a valuable initiative like YAYKOP to enter the book printing and publishing process with its affiliated authors.’

WE ARE HAVING A DISAPPOINTING FAIR

Olcay Geridönmez from Kor Kitap also said, ‘For us, it's a disappointing fair because it's not a place where people usually go and there are no expenses. We don't understand why Harem was chosen.’ Geridönmez noted that he closed his stand on Monday with sales of 1,500 lira and made 1,500 lira (~40 USD) on Tuesday, adding, ’For the first time during this municipal administration, boutique and independent publishers were given a place. We participated thanks to this, but I wish the location hadn't been here. Schools and students are almost absent from the fair.

The venue is quite empty. Discounted books and the presence of many publishers and books together make fairs attractive for readers. However, the economic situation has been a factor in the lacklustre nature of fairs over the past few years. The situation is difficult for medium-sized publishers. People have less money in their pockets. We are seeing an increase in credit card usage. Years ago, people would come with a list. Today's economic conditions have made that a luxury; people can no longer afford to buy books.’

NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES DECREASED, SECTOR EXPERIENCED A SLOWDOWN

Gökhan Sofuoğlu, who has been working at Khalkedon Publications for 18 years, stated that this was their first time participating in the fair and that left-leaning publishing houses were not allowed to participate during the AKP era. Sofuoğlu emphasised that he sold one book on Monday and did not even make a single sale on Tuesday, saying, ‘There are no people at the fair. Although Harem is a central location in Istanbul, it is difficult to reach. Putting the publishing houses that we can call the monopolies of the market at the forefront and pushing small-scale publishing houses like ours to the back made us invisible.’

Sofuoğlu continued, ‘The stands are free, but steps should have been taken to make publishers like us more visible. The fair was not adequately announced. Even my neighbours in Selimiye didn't know about it. I told them myself.’ Sofuoğlu summarised the crisis facing publishers as follows: ‘We started having problems after the pandemic. Paper prices increased. While costs rose by 115% in two years, book prices increased by only 15%. Many publishing houses closed or downsized by laying off staff. While we used to have seven employees, I am now the only one working at the publishing house. I handle editing, proofreading, distribution, and transportation, and I also work at the booth. We used to publish an average of 60 books a year. Now we can't even publish one book a month. The sector is expected to shrink by 80% between 2022 and 2025. The state of social opposition also determines the state of publishing houses. We strive to publish for labour, workers, and the oppressed, not for capital. We are trying to maintain this stance in some way. If only there were a revolution today and we could get rid of the AKP government, it is clear that we would experience some relief.’

TRAVEL COSTS 148 LIRA, EARNINGS 700 LIRA

Sermin Danışman Turgay from Dipnot Publications stated that she had to change three vehicles to get from her home in Kağıthane to Harem, spending 148 TL (~4 USD) daily on transportation, and on Tuesday, she only made 700 lira (~20 USD) in sales.

Turgay said: "Harem isn't a place where many people go, I suppose. Schools didn't come much either. The area is large, and there are many publishers, but it's been very quiet for the past two days. We're all waiting for the weekend. There are people who don't like reading books digitally but can't afford to buy books and come to the fair anyway. When I talk to them, they say, ‘We have no money, but we like to walk around.’ They look at the new books, read the reviews, and leave. That's nice too. I used to do the same when I was young. The smell of books, just holding a book in your hands is something else,’ he said. Noting that the closure of paper factories has forced them to rely on imported paper, Turgay said, ’Since paper is imported with foreign currency, printing new books has become very difficult. The cost has also increased for readers. Now, when people step out onto the street, they spend at least 100 lira. Buying a book has become a luxury. There is a group of people who love books and insist on having them in their libraries; they can afford to buy them. Retirees think a thousand times before buying a book. I am also retired. This system is not killing us; it is torturing us".

Note: This text has been translated from the original Turkish version titled Ekonomik kriz kitap okutmuyor, published in BirGün newspaper on May 1, 2025.