Lisbon, June 4, 2025 (Lusa) - Publishers are “optimistic” and have “high expectations” and are confident that sales will continue to grow, mainly driven by young people, at Portugal's capital city, Lisbon Book Fair, which begins its 95th edition on Wednesday and for which they have expanded their catalogues and events.
Bárbara Bulhosa, editor at Tinta-da-China, told Lusa that “it has always published books with a focus on denouncing human rights abuses, alerting people to social and political injustices or making us reflect on the world we live in”.
“Now, given the complicated national and international political context, and in the year in which the publisher celebrates its 20th anniversary, I believe that these commitments are even more necessary,” she said.
Therefore, the plan for 2025–2026 reflects this responsibility, and participation in the Lisbon Book Fair is seen by the person in charge as a key moment of affirmation and resistance.
Despite maintaining the same pavilions, the publisher will invest in a large number of events and debates to promote dialogue and encounters with readers.
The Presença Publishing Group is “very optimistic” about this book fair, believing “that the trend of growing attendance will continue, especially among younger readers, who have shown increasing enthusiasm for this event”.
This year, the group will be present with 20 pavilions bringing together its four book labels - Presença, Marcador, Manuscrito and Jacarandá - and a programme that includes more than 70 events, such as book signings, debates, storytelling, children’s theatre and appearances by national and international authors.
Under the slogan “Cultivate Reading. Cultivate the Planet”, Praça LeYa will be at the Lisbon Book Fair with a revamped look that "invites reading and values sustainability", including abundant vegetation and a partnership with the PlantArbor association to plant trees for every book sold.
As the publishing group told Lusa, the programme will feature more than 200 meetings between readers and authors, 70 public sessions, concerts and the presence of more than 150 Portuguese and international authors, with the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of D. Quixote and the 50th anniversary of Caminho and a Community Mural to pay tribute to Pedro Sobral, manager of Leya and president of the Portuguese Association of Publishers and Booksellers (APEL), who died in December 2024 after being hit by a car.
The Porto Editora group says it is “optimistic” about another edition of “the biggest celebration of books in Portugal”, pointing out that, more than commercial results, “the Book Fair is a platform for cultural promotion that allows authors, publishers and readers to meet”.
Reinforcing its commitment to promoting reading through the diversity of its catalogue and the presence of national and international authors, Porto Editora has 30 pavilions and 60,000 books this year, and a programme that includes more than 200 events, it revealed.
Penguin Random House said it was “very enthusiastic” about this edition of the fair, for which it has once again “focused on bringing readers and authors closer together”, expecting to welcome more than 100 authors to its space, many of them foreign and many of them newcomers.
The publishing group is also investing in events beyond book signings, such as talks, reading clubs, masterclasses and promotions that include, in addition to “Hora H” (H Hour) and “Livro do Dia” (book of the day), the “4 por 3” campaign.
As for the publisher Devir, it sees the Lisbon Book Fair as an opportunity to strengthen ties with readers and reach new audiences.
“This year we have reinforced our commitment to graphic novels and comics, with particular emphasis on the DC line, so we have high expectations that this edition will surpass the previous ones,” publisher Ana Lopes told Lusa.
Despite the enthusiasm, the publisher expressed disappointment at not having obtained the three stands requested from the Association of Publishers and Booksellers (APEL), considering this decision inappropriate “given Devir’s importance in the comic book scene in Portugal”.
For Ana Margarida Pinheiro, editor of the Almedina group, the outlook is “very good”, especially given that “the Portuguese are reading more, young people are reading more, there is more talk about books and more books are being bought”.
The publisher highlights the Lisbon Book Fair as an essential event for publishers, booksellers and readers, providing access to a wide variety of books and authors at affordable prices, as well as “some surprises” from its book labels (Almedina, Edições 70, Actual and Minotauro).
The publishers of Guerra e Paz have “the highest expectations for the Lisbon Book Fair”, hoping to “grow 30% by 2025”, since in recent years, in addition to the increase in the number of pavilions, sales have grown in value between 30% and 50% year on year.
“This year, maintaining the number of pavilions from 2024, we are betting on the attractiveness of our new releases and on concentrating the books from the Euphoria label in one of these pavilions, as we have a large young and female audience,” in addition to strengthening their presence with Clássicos Guerra e Paz, the Os Livros Não se Rendem collection and their historical atlases.
AL/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
