The head of the book council has hit back at concerns about poor attendance and sales at this year’s book festival, saying he had received positive feedback so far.
The Malta Book Festival, held at the MFCC in Ta’ Qali, was launched on Wednesday and will come to an end on Sunday.
Publishers and book enthusiasts who spoke to Times of Malta said the attendance until Friday night was poor compared to previous years. Some questioned the lack of marketing of the festival, while noting the branding seemed aimed more at children, rather than the general public.
Midsea’s Joseph Mizzi said that in the first three days of the festival, sales dropped by 40 per cent compared to last year, which was not a good year for sales.
He believes it is a matter of timing: not many are willing to spend money on books soon after spending hundreds of euros for the new scholastic year.
The ideal time for a book festival is the end of October or beginning of November, when book lovers would have received their wage for the month.
“The festival is a publisher’s only direct contact with clients. The success of the festival makes a difference: it’s a do-or-die for us, because the market is struggling.”
The sector, Mizzi said, had already been dealt a blow by an increase in the cost of paper, which subsequently pushed up the price of books.
The success of the festival makes a difference: it’s a do-or-die for us, because the market is struggling
David Bezzina, from Horizons, noted that publishers had sought the help of the government but so far had received no support.
“If the price of paper continues to increase, the already struggling publishing industry in Malta will die. The drop in book sales and readership could be one reason behind poorer attendance at this year’s festival,” Bezzina said, expressing hope that attendance fares better at the weekend.
A spokesperson for Kite Group also noted a drop in attendance and sales that could be a result of attendees’ spending power, but pointed out that the festival could have been marketed better.
“The vision for the festival seems to be fragmented: is it held to publish new titles and showcase authors, or to sell old stock? Shouldn’t the festival promote the launch of new books and authors to give book lovers something to look forward to?”
But National Book Council chair Mark Camilleri said it was too early to talk about the performance of this year’s festival.
“Over the past three days, the venue was packed with schoolchildren in the mornings, and on Friday so many people turned up they had to park far away to reach the venue.”
Camilleri said publishers who spoke to him actually said they had so far recorded better sales over last year.
The festival was held in October following public consultation with publishers, who preferred this month over November. The Ta’ Qali venue – which is the best suited for the festival – had been pre-booked for another event at the end of the month.
Camilleri said that organisers had marketed the festival through the publication of articles, adverts and press releases in printed papers, websites and social media. The council also offered a media refund scheme to all exhibitors for marketing from their own end.