The U.S. market for Spanish-language books is evolving steadily, even as booksellers continue to struggle with a limited selection of titles and confusion over where to source materials—the very problems mentioned in the Public Library Survey 2002 (Críticas, July/Aug. 2002, p. 19). But booksellers remain optimistic about the health of the market, according to a recent study cosponsored by Ingram Books and Críticas, despite persistent challenges.

The booksellers polled last August came from a national list of Spanish-language book buyers who had purchased titles from Ingram. Of the 267 respondents, 87% were independent booksellers and 19% had total annual sales of more than $1 million in 2002. Some 55% operated in suburban or rural communities, with more than half on the West Coast and the rest scattered across the country.

This broad sample provides some key insight into market realities and needs. "Booksellers need to commit inventory, space, and marketing attention to the category," says James Chandler, chief commercial officer of Ingram Books. "It will take time to find, develop, and build a continuing clientele."

Although a small niche market exists for Spanish-language periodicals—16% of booksellers stock newspapers and magazines while 5% will special order them—Spanish-language books are at the heart of sales. More than eight in 10 booksellers special order books in Spanish for patrons, and 64% stock them regularly; 84% devote a separate section to these books in the store, and 15% shelve them among their English-language counterparts. In one finding that holds promise for the market, 21% of the booksellers that do not currently stock these titles would be interested in doing so with the help of an informed supplier.

The most popular titles are in the children's and young adult categories, both in Spanish and bilingual versions, followed closely by adult fiction and adult nonfiction. Respondents also expressed great interest in stocking classics, best sellers, and English-language instruction books. Religion titles are very strong, with psychology and self-help right behind. As the 2002 Críticas library survey revealed, books on law, how-to, and business are also needed. Booksellers polled also need biographies, romance and mysteries, fotonovelas, and books on travel and computers.

At the cash register, an individual book rings an average sale of $12.50, a number driven down by the lower price point on children's titles. Total Spanish-language book sales for 2002 reflect the toe-dipping many booksellers are trying with the market. Some 29% had sales of more than $1,000 for Spanish-language books. More significantly, the mean total sales revenue among those stocking Spanish-language books came in at an impressive $857,000, which shows the power of shelving these books instead of ordering them only on demand.

As for market growth, 25% of booksellers expect retail sales to increase, significantly in some cases. The largest booksellers estimate a net increase of 22%.

"Pricing, availability and inadequate marketing funds, until very recently, have not encouraged booksellers to stock the types of assortments that encourage repeat business," says Chandler. "We expect for there to be continuing growth as U.S.–based publishers and distributors bring more and more titles to the market that are current, popularly priced, and properly marketed."

This optimism is largely due to a shift in the way business is done. "Until very recently, Spanish-language books have been a predominantly special-order business, except in the handful of stores with the demographics to support the broad assortments of largely imported titles," says Chandler. "We expect the growth to come initially from the public library markets, and have in fact seen libraries as the early adopters of the Ingram OneSource model for Spanish-language books."

Among those taking major steps toward making the commitment Chandler mentions is Barnes & Noble, which now carries 40,000 Spanish-language titles. As other booksellers follow suit and figure out how to get the word out, national sales will certainly rise.

Chandler also suggests that booksellers market through local schools and libraries to let readers know about the Spanish-language books they shelve. As the 2002 survey indicates, libraries are well into serving Spanish-language readers but still struggle to meet community needs.

"We believe there is a greater demand for Spanish-language materials in many communities in the U.S. than libraries have been able to supply, or supply easily," says Chandler. "We are pleased with the growth in the library segment sales of Spanish-language titles made available through U.S. publishers and distributors, and particularly pleased with the early and solid first-year results of our OneSource Spanish initiative. Libraries have accounted for nearly half of our first- year sales, and the month-over-month growth tells us that there is plenty of room for continuing growth."