In addition to being a great library to enjoy, the Bogotá International Book Fair (FILBo) maintains the essence of corferias, a venue for doing business between nationals and with the greatest number of countries possible. This is confirmed by the president of the Colombian Book Chamber, Emiro Aristizábal.
The manager stressed that the renowned FILBo has not only a great offer, but also professional conferenceswhere there are events such as a two-day business conference in which international buyers can acquire rights and Colombian businessmen can show all the exportable offer.
(Bogotá Book Fair 2023: see which universities will participate).
Indeed, among the guests are publishing businessmen from 25 countries, to do business with their Colombian counterparts, who know the quality of the Colombian publishing industry, but also come to offer rights and titles. “With which the FILBo, in addition to being a cultural scene, also offers business operations to strengthen the industry”, he adds.
Regarding the eternal question about whether digital will end with paper, The manager is clear in remarking that paper definitely continues to be the king of books. “30 years ago Mr. Bill Gates predicted the end of the printed book and I must tell you that it continues to enjoy very good health. I mean the printed book, I don’t know Mr. Bill Gates”, he added.
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And it is that digital books really have a low level of penetration in Colombia, barely 5% and their editions are more oriented towards textbooks and academics. The rest of the sectors grow and diversify is in books printed on paper.
Emiro Aristizábal’s statement is confirmed by the ‘health’ of the publishing industry in the country, after the coup of covid-19. “Like all economic activities, it was affected by the pandemic, but it has already recovered. As of 2021, it has had a recovery in sales and in 2022 it has already been fully recovered and showing growth above 2019”, commented the manager. And he added that by 2023 the industry shows a slowdown compared to 2022, but it is still on positive ground and will grow.
In a report of Analdexabout the sector in general, mentions Tatiana Duarte, president of Andigrafwho argued that, at the national level, “Graphic communication had one of the best performances among the manufacturing industries in 2022, with a growth in production of 19.7%, grouping together the activities of printing and the manufacture of paper, cardboard and their products. Similarly, sales grew considerably by 33.6 percent for printing activities and 12.9 percent for the manufacture of paper, cardboard and their products.”.
(Books on economics and business that you can find at FILBo).
the directive of andigraf He added that, however, what is most interesting is the innovative potential that is being developed in graphic communication.
According to the Edit (Technological Development and Innovation Survey) of the Dane in 2021, 3.5% of the companies in printing activities are potentially innovative, above the 3.1% of the total number of companies in the manufacturing industry.
On the other hand, 30.6% of the companies that manufacture paper, cardboard and their products are innovative in a broad sense, above 25.8% of the total number of companies in the manufacturing industry.
Meanwhile, from the edge of publishing and book imports, China, Spain, the United States, Mexico, Poland and Brazil They were the destinations that sold the most these goods to Colombia. In 2022, those purchases totaled $54.7 millionwith an increase of 50.2% compared to the year 2021.
But, at the same time, the Analdex document, which took figures and statistics from Andigraf and Sicex, reflected that, during 2022, exports of books and publishers from the country totaled 31.4 million dollars, with a growth of 2.7%. And, in this context, the Bogotá International Book Fair maintains its potential to be a catalyst for these sales abroad. Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Antioquia, Valle del Cauca and Atlántico they were the most exporting departments.
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The FILBo, one of the most important in Latin America, together with that of Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Guadalajara (Mexico), is a key platform to show the potential of the Colombian publishing industry, with a view to transcending borders and conquering more international readers.
Precisely, United States, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, Chile, Panama and Bolivia They were the countries that most purchased this type of product. This analysis also shows that there were 110 exporting companies, mainly from Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Antioquia, Valle del Cauca and Atlántico.
With that scenario, Javier Díaz, president of Analdexrecalled that during the strongest peak of the pandemic there was a high demand for audiovisual and editorial content, so it is vital to take advantage of this momentum in the coming years, to continue consolidating the external sale of these products.
Mexico, guest of honor
Mexico, guest country of honor at the Bogotá International Book Fair (FilBo), captivates visitors with its literature, which ranges from its indigenous roots to the most prominent contemporary voices. The Aztec country participates for the third year as the guest of honor, which means “a sign of closeness,” said the Ambassador of Mexico in Bogota, Patricia Ruiz Anchondowho added that the two nations are “more united than ever and joining efforts to promote peace and recognition of our roots and our culture”.
CESAR GIRALDO
Portfolio Deputy Editor
With information from EFE
