Novels remain the undisputed favorite reading choice for Italians on vacation, according to sales figures from 350 Coop Alleanza 3.0 stores. Nearly 600,000 paperback books and magazines were sold this summer, marking an increase of 3,000 units compared to the same period last year.
Fiction led the market with 60,000 novels sold. This was followed by 19,000 mystery novels and 2,500 non-fiction volumes. Children’s books were also highly popular, accounting for 50,000 sales. Within this category, over 24,000 titles were “first readers,” while 20,000 volumes focused on developing creativity (including coloring books, sticker books, and classic activity titles like ‘Play, Learn, Color’). Books for early childhood placed third in this segment with 5,400 copies sold.
The 37 dedicated Librerie.coop stores reported nearly €3 million in revenue for August alone. Literature sales contributed €1.4 million to this total. Novels alone generated €740,000, representing 25% of all sales. Children’s books accounted for 17%, mysteries for 11%, and humanities titles for 7%.
“The novel,” observed Nicoletta Bencivenni, Director of Librerie.coop, “is the genre that, more than any other, invites us to slow down and immerse ourselves in a longer timeframe. The plot is never just the written one, but also what the reader constructs within themselves. It is this silent dialogue that continues to make it irreplaceable.”
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