Czech book market
How many books are published in the Czech Republic each year? How many are translated from Czech? How many publishing houses are registered in the Czech Republic? And which ones are among the most prolific publishers? Read some of the statistics from the latest 2023/2024 Report on the Czech Book Market, published by the Association of Czech Booksellers and Publishers.
Number of titles published
The Czech National Bibliography (CNB) estimates that approximately 13,000 titles were published in the Czech Republic in 2023. As of 1 November 2024, the CNB listed 12,800 titles, but it can be assumed that, as in previous years, books with 2023 dating will continue to be added to the database and the number will stabilise at a level greater than the above. Compared to 2022, when approximately 14,500 titles were published, this represents a year-on-year decrease of approximately 10%.
Languages and translations
In 2023, books in the Czech language accounted for more than 87% of books produced in Czechia, which corresponds to 12,162 titles. Another 798 titles were published in Czech and another language, while 72 books were multilingual. English dominated foreign-language production, accounting for 2.9% of the total.
The Czech book market is import-driven: books published abroad are imported into the Czech Republic, mainly under copyright licenses. In 2023, 5,533 books were translated from foreign languages, representing a stable ratio of 40% translations to 60% original literature. The most common languages for translations were English and German, with French and Slovak swapping third and fourth places.
Extent of the book market
A qualified estimate of the total extent of the Czech book market in 2023, including foreign literature imports, placed it at CZK 8.4 billion in final prices including VAT, after rounding. This represents a decrease of just under CZK 100 million, or approximately 1%, against the previous year.
In 2023, annual turnover excluding imports amounted to approximately CZK 7.5 billion, a decline from CZK 7.7 billion in 2022. Turnover from sales of printed books excluding foreign imports reached CZK 6.8 billion, representing a year-on-year decline of approximately 4%.
Publishing houses
As of 1 December 2024, a total of 6,227 publishing licenses had been granted in the Czech Republic under the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) system. This is a decrease of 72 entities compared to 2022. According to estimates, approximately one-third of registered publishers is currently active in book publishing, another third has temporarily suspended activities, and the remaining third has ceased operations.
Prague remains the dominant publishing centre, followed by Brno. The largest private publishers in terms of number of titles published in 2023 were Albatros Media, the Euromedia Group, and Grada Publishing. The market structure has not changed much compared to previous years, with only a slight decline in the number of titles published.