At A Feira do Livro. The fair concluded in June at Pacaembu’s stadium with a football match between authors. Image: A Feira do Livro, Camila Almeida
Editor’s note: Earlier this month we had a report on the 40th Bienal do Livro in Rio de Janeiro, which coincided with the city’s honor of being named UNESCO‘s World Book Capital. While the Bienal moves between Rio and nearby São Paulo, the fourth iteration of the A Feira do Livro do Pacaembu also went forward in São Paulo.—Porter Anderson
By Talita Facchini | @talitafacchinii
See also:
June Showcased Many of Brazil’s Literary Interests
Rio Becomes UNESCO’s 2025 World Book Capital
Brazil’s Publishers Release New Book Market Research
Sharjah at Rio: Celebrating UNESCO’s New World Book Capital in Brazil
Brazil’s Book Market: Consumer Research Reflects Price Perceptions
A Gain of 16,000 Attendees
During São Paulo’s fourth edition of A Feira do Livro do Pacaembu, this public-facing book fair reported that between June 14 and 22, it welcomed 80,000 attendees in nine days—up from 64,000 in 2023.
Known for its open-air, free-access format and a robust author lineup, the fair featured Brazilian and international writers and is said to have performed well in book sales for publishers. Grupo Autêntica, for example, reported a 140-percent increase in sales over its results in the previous year.
Before the literary celebrations began this year, professionals from many parts of the industry gathered to discuss pressing issues and to strengthen their connections with international publishers.
The Brazilian Association of Book Publishers (SNEL) hosted the show’s second edition of the Rio International Publishers Summit—featuring personalities familiar to Publishing Perspectives readers including Bookwire’s Jens Klingelhöfer and Videl Bar-Kar; MVB’s Meike Knops; HarperCollins’ Chantal Restivo-Alessi; and Penguin Random House’s Amanda D’Acierno. Two other major events ran in parallel: the 33rd National Bookstore Convention and the sixth “Professional Journey.”
Those events shared a common theme: a need for unity across the publishing chain. Both events also tackled artificial intelligence, innovation, and the growth of audiobooks.
“We can say that Brazil is doing well and growing significantly,” said Bookwire‘s Klingelhöfer. He described the country as a “special market,” stressing that a transition to digital publishing requires patience. “It takes time,” he said, referring to digital content’s current 9-percent share of publishing revenue in Brazil.
“Brazil can look to other markets and take inspiration,” Klingelhöfer said. “It‘s possible to follow a similar path. In terms of revenue, the potential still hasn’t been fully realized. It’s about building a catalogue, investing in content, and thinking long-term.”
During another panel, Restivo-Alessi, D’Acierno, and Paulo Lemgruber—who leads international operations at Audible—made the same point: a strong catalogue is essential for growth. “If consumers find the title they’re looking for and they enjoy it, they stay and return,” said Lemgruber.
The speakers also highlighted the importance of high-quality production and long-term thinking, especially when investing in digital publishing.
At A Feira do Livro. Image: A Feira do Livro, Nilton Fukuda
Voluntarily Testing Fixed Prices
One long-standing debate in Brazil returned to the spotlight this year: The Cortez Law is a proposed fixed-price law similar to France’s Lang Law. While the bill has broad support among publishers and booksellers, it remains stalled in the Brazilian senate with no date for further discussion.
The bookstore conference invited Nicolas Roche, president of France Livre (formerly BIEF), the French publishing network, to offer a historical perspective on France’s fixed pricing system, now in place for 45 years.
“Back then,” Roche said, “we had a conservative government that still believed books should be treated differently,” Roche said. “There was consensus from both the left and right that books are a fundamental good.”
“In Brazil, I’ve seen a breakdown of the publishing value chain,” he continued. “When publishers and booksellers fight over price, it’s deadly. In France, the fight is about content, editorial lines, and events—it’s never about price. That’s how we’ve sustained the market.”
By the end of the bookstore conference, it appeared that a more concrete step had emerged. Attendees agreed to voluntarily apply the principles of the Cortez Law for a three-month trial. The goal is to begin seeing tangible effects in the market and support booksellers in the long-term.
Meanwhile, the professional program, promoted by the Brazilian Publishers group, included two days of meetings with 43 publishers—31 Brazilian and 12 international—to negotiate copyrights and establish strategic connections. Business expectations in sales for the next 12 months are around US$ 900,000.
At an evening event during São Paulo’s fourth edition of A Feira do Livro. Image: A Feira do Livro, Flavio Florido
More from Publishing Perspectives on UNESCO’s World Book Capital is here, more on book fairs and trade shows in the book publishing industry is here, and more on Brazil and its book business is here.