CROATIAN BOOK MARKET AND

BOOK POLICIES OF THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE

CURRENT STATUS AND PERSPECTIVES

Dubravka Duric Nemec, director

Ministry of Culture, Republic of Croatia
Directorate for Literature, Publishing and Libraries

CRO BOOK TRADE AND MARKET BASIC

CHARACTERISTICS
Small and loosely organized market
Dominated by a dozen of major players, a few mediumsized companies and a large number of small-sized
publishers
Increasing tendency to depend on state subsidy
Fixed book pricing system based on a trade agreement
in force since 2007
Book taxation: reduced VAT 5% on print books vs.
standard VAT 25% on e-books
Stringent copyright and intellectual property legislation,
fully harmonized with EU
Public lending right implemented in 2013

BOOK TRADE AND BOOK MARKET MAJOR

PROBLEMS
Decreasing buyer power, reflected in decreasing printing runs
and decreasing sales(2013 revenues approx. 110,000 )
Inadequately functioning distribution chain
Shrinking bookshop network
Lack of general statistics on the book trade (relevant trade
organizations, e.g. Publishers Association, do not systematically
collect and publish such data)
No clear definition of stakeholder roles
No adequate training courses to meet new job requirements
Reading statistics (approx. 40% of citizes over 15 yrs read at
least 1 book/months vs. EU average 57%)

FACTS AND FIGURES

CRO population
Croatian Publishers & Booksellers Association
Young adult & childrens publishers
Publishers applying to MC (all types legal entities)
Titles/year (CIP)*
Estimated fiction + non-fiction titles/year (MC)
1600)
Translations
Estimated young adult & childrens titles
Public libraries with detached dpts.

4.3 m
~ 200
~ 30
~ 500
~ 6000
~ 3000
(~ 1400 +
~ 40%
~ 250
~ 250

*books-in-print, incl. fiction, non-fiction, textbooks, school books, brochures, catalogues,

etc.

FACTS AND FIGURES SPECIAL REFERENCE TO

YOUNG ADULT & CHILDRENS BOOKS
YA & childrens book publishers*
~ 30
(business companies, associations, self-publishing,
institutions)
Small & medium-sized specialized publishers + big trade publishers
with young adult & childrens book depts.)
Association of Croatian Childrens Book Publishers within the
Publishers and Booksellers Association
Total annual production YA & CH (5-year average) ~ 250 new titles
Domestic annual production childrens books 50 60 new titles
Domestic production vs. Import
~ 25% vs. 75%
*Estimates based on input data from following sources: internal statistics of the Ministry of
Culture, **Association of Publishers and Booksellers Croatian Chamber of Commerce,
Childrens Book Center

FACTS AND FIGURES SPECIAL REFERENCE TO

YOUNG ADULT & CHILDRENS BOOKS
Estimated YA & childrens book market share (volume) 10%15%
Estimated YA & childrens book share in total
book sector revenues**
10%13%
Rights sold in over 30 countries and books translated into over 30
different languages, including Chinese
Over 100 illustrators currently working for Croatian and international
publishers
Croatian illustrators holders of respectable international awards
Croatian Society of Writers for Children and Young Adults The First
Writers Club professional association of young adult and childrens
book writers
Croatian Centre for Childrens Book cares for childrens book
collections and libraries
Croatian Association of Researchers in Childrens Literature promotes
research
**Source: Croatian Chamber of Commerce

FACTS AND FIGURES

Ministry of Culture
Directorate for Literature, Publishing and Libraries
Budget 2015
4 million subsidies for the book chain +
2.3 million funding acquisition of books and
non-book collections+library events

FINANCIAL SUPPORT SCHEMES

Book production subsidies for domestic publishers (incl. ebooks and translations into Croatian, priority: translations from
less widely-used languages + young adult and childrens
books)
Subsidies for cultural magazines and e-periodicals
Subsidies for book and literature events (including festivals,
book fairs, readings)
Subsidies for literary events in bookshops (roundtables,
readings, discussions)
Book purchase for public libraries
Translation grants for foreign publishers
Writer bursaries (incl. translators)
Best of the year awards (20 titles of diff. Genres)
Mobility grants
Public libraries: acquisition funding + library programs
Public lending right

TRANSLATION GRANTS
OBJECTIVE
Promote translation and presentation of Croatian literature abroad
by co-financing translation costs
WHAT?
Fiction, quality non-fiction and works of special cultural interest
WHO?
Publishers with a seat of business outside Croatia.
WHEN?
Around the year
HOW?

Application Form
Contract with copyright holder
Contract with translator
Publishing house profile/catalogue
Translators profile

MOBILITY
Travel grants for writers, translators, book professionals to
attend festivals, readings, participate in collaborative projects,
etc.
Subsidies to book/writer/translator associations and
organizations to encourage bilateral/multilateral &
regional/international exchange
Subsidies to writer/translator residencies to foster exchange:
Marko Maruli Writer in Residence, Split
Kamov Residence Program, Rijeka
Hia od besid Writer Residence, Pazin

MAJOR CROATIAN BOOK FAIRS

Interlieber International Book Fair, Zagreb
(annually mid November, 10-15 Nov 2015)
San(j)am knjige Book Fair and Festival, Pula
(annually early December, 3-13 Dec 2015)

INFORMATION ABOUT CROATIAN AUTHORS

DATABASE CROATIAN LITERATURE IN TRANSLATION
http://www.culturenet.hr/default2.aspx?id=73

INFORMATION ABOUT CROATIAN AUTHORS

http://croatian-literature.hr/crolit/
AUTHORS PROFILES

WHATS IN IT FOR CHINESE BOOK

PROFESSIONALS?
DIRECT COOPERATION
Sell rights Croatian publishers receive publication
grants (Chinese Croatian)
Buy rights Chinese publishers receive translation
grants (Croatian Chinese)
Take part in Croatian book fairs
Writers/translators apply for residencies
Agents information, networking
Help Chinese publishers establish direct contacts with
Croatian publishers and/or associations
Potential problem: Qualified, experienced, certified
literary translators joint search for solutions

WHATS IN IT FOR CHINESE BOOK

PROFESSIONALS?
COOPERATION ON A MORE FORMAL LEVEL
Relevant ministries of both countries discuss and
agree on joint implementation of specific publishing
projects and/or cultural exchange programs

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION