Exponential grow of the publishing industry

By Francisco Espinosa Bellido

According to a report from the Research Centre of the Universidad del Pacífico, since the Book Law came into force, the publishing industry in Peru has grown exponentially, positioned its products abroad and managed to decline counterfeiting.

In October 11 2003 the Law Nº 28.086 for Democratization of Books and Reading Promotion was enacted. Among other things, the Act exempts the creation, marketing and sale of Peruvian books from several taxes and tariffs.

Since then until now, the national publishing industry has undergone a huge transformation. In 2013, illegal book industry had benefits of US 94 million, a reduction of 98% compared to the situation of 2003. "This decrease of informality deepened since 2005," says the document.

"Since the formal distribution network expanded, we have managed to occupy spaces that were strictly in the hands of piracy", stated Germán Coronado, president of the Peruvian Book Chamber (CPL) to the Agencia de Noticias Andina.

Besides reducing book counterfeiting, Law Nº 28.086 opened foreign markets to national products. Although the report specifies that the book market in Latin America has not grown significantly, Peru has managed to expand itself in this complex context. Book exportations to other Latin American countries has increased from 6% to 10% between 2002 and 2013, according to data from the United Nations gathered by the Universidad del Pacífico. The main destinations are Ecuador, Colombia, Chile and the United States. 

However, the CPL has warned that all benefits achieved would be undermined if the Law expiration date isn´t extended before October 10. Coronado said that during Peru´s next International Book Fair (from July 17 to August 2), the Chamber will work heavily on that matter.