[Books] Popular magazines in dire straits as publication closures surge over 30％ of publishers in the red， the largest number in the past 20 years Teikoku Databank publishers unable to escape slump amid publishing downturn
9/8 (Sun) 7:03 Teikoku Databank Bankruptcies and closures continue to rise As the decline in bookstores nationwide shows no sign of halting, the harsh business environment is also becoming clear for magazine and book publishers. In fiscal 2023, 36.2% of publishers are expected to incur losses, the largest percentage in the past 20 years, while more than 60% of publishers are expected to experience deteriorating performance, including reduced profits. In the midst of the publishing recession, many publishers are finding themselves in a difficult position. In 2024, many famous magazines were suspended or discontinued. Monthly entertainment magazine “Popolo,” women’s fashion magazine “jelly,” and anime voice actor magazine “Seiyuu Animedia” have all announced they will be ceasing publication. Riverfield Publishing, the publisher of “eye-ai,” Japan’s only English-language monthly magazine that introduced topics related to traditional Japanese culture and performing arts to the world, went bankrupt in April of this year.* In addition to the aging of subscribers, the popularity of e-books and the rise of online media among young people have meant that sales of paper magazines and books have been declining since peaking in 1996. In addition, under the “reprint system,” publishers are burdened with a heavy inventory burden, with approximately 40% of publications being returned as unsold. In addition, rising prices have caused printing costs such as paper and ink, as well as logistics costs, to rise significantly, creating a vicious cycle of increasingly worsening profits. The number of bankruptcies and closures of publishing companies (liabilities of 10 million yen or more, legal reorganization) that occurred in January-August 2024 is also expected to occur at a similar pace to 2023 (65 cases), which saw an increase from the previous year for the first time in four years, and the number for the whole of 2024 may be the highest in the past five years. Currently, major bookstores in the industry are working to reduce returned books, and some magazines and publishers are seeing growth by adopting unique themes and editorial styles. On the other hand, it is not easy to publish a hit book or magazine, and rising publishing costs are likely to lead to a process of small and medium-sized publishers being forced to suspend publication, close their books, go bankrupt, or go out of business. [Note] The “eye-ai’’ business was transferred to the shot in July 2021, and is currently being published as usual as “re:eye-ai’’ and “re:eye-ai+’’.
About 15 years ago, a large number of Korean people started to infiltrate the country and they kept forcibly featuring groups like Seventeen with the aim of brainwashing people.
Let’s buy books properly. If you like cars, buy car magazines. If you like fashion, buy fashion magazines. If you like manga, buy manga books. It’s a big problem if bookstores go out of business.
I used to buy a music score book called Monthly Piano, but when I went to the bookstore recently, I was surprised to see that it had become very thin and doubled in price.
Even when you go to a convenience store, the magazine section takes up less than half the space, and most of the magazines on display are aimed at grandparents.
I heard that a long-established bookstore in my hometown that used to run several stores with a big attitude is now on the verge of collapse, and I think that all the karma I’ve gained from working so arrogantly for so many years has finally come back to haunt me.
The nearby Tsutaya/bookstore closed, and there are almost no stores nearby where you can get into a bookstore right after parking on your moped, so it’s become a pain to go there.
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