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Published on March 4, 2008

Growth would be higher had it not been for high inflation, political uncertainty and weak consumer spending, the body said.

Association president Risual Aramcharoen said the economy was likely to be sluggish while oil prices should continue to prove volatile.

The stability of the government and the fallout from the global sub-prime and credit crisis will be major factors denting consumer confidence.

This would be the second year of single-digit growth for publishers.

At the same time, prices of key materials such as paper and ink are still rising. Risual said prices of many types of papers used for printing had risen by an average of Bt1 per kilogram.

The combined surge in the prices of raw materials can send costs higher by 10-12 per cent for the industry, which could result in book prices rising by 5-10 per cent this year.

All publishers need to keep watch over their operations in order to bring expenses under control if they are to remain competitive, she added.

Risual said the industry last year was driven mainly by big publishers - those with annual sales of more than Bt100 million - as they contributed as much as 62.8 per cent of overall sales.

They were followed by mid-sized publishers, or those with sales of Bt30 million to Bt100 million. This segment had 25 per cent of the market.

Small publishers, or those with sales under Bt30 million, had 12.2 per cent of the market.

While telling publishers to be careful about costs this year, the association is also trying to stimulate consumer demand for reading books.

It has cooperated with 32 public and private organisations to propose that the government "encourage people to read books" as part of a national agenda.

It recently wrote to the government, asking it to follow three strategies: the equal distribution of books to children nationwide; ensuring that mandatory books for children are sold at fair prices; and safeguarding children from undesirable media, including games on the Internet.

Nitida Asawanipont

The Nation