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The market for Spanish books in the U.S. is as diverse as the Mexicans, Cubans, Puerto Ricans, Central Americans and other Latinos within it. Books in Spanish are found in mainstream bookstores, purchased over the Internet, studied in hundreds of American colleges and universities, and read in thousands of libraries nationwide.
With more than 30 million Hispanics, the United States is already the fifth largest Spanish-speaking nation in the world. Within 10 years, only Mexico will have more Spanish-speakers
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than the U.S.
U.S. Latinos are making significant economic strides. Since 1990, the buying power of Latinos has risen 65% to total $348 billion dollars today, a sum greater than the entire gross national product of Mexico, according to the Economist. The buying power of California Latinos alone increases by $1 billion dollars every six weeks. These increases in population and buying power can have only a positive impact on the trade market for Spanish-language books.
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On the education side, nearly a million college -and university students are enrolled in Spanish-language courses each year, giving publishers a captive audience for fiction and nonfiction titles alike. In California there is still a strong market for Spanish material, despite the efforts to do away with bilingual education. A recent census taken there shows that more than half a million students, or English Language Learners (ELLs), are still being supported by or instructed in their native language. "The purchase of Spanish materials in California may not be the dead issue many have predicted," confirms Lise Ragan, president of
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Course Crafters. "Other large ELL states, such as Texas, are still actively teaching bilingually and purchasing Spanish-language materials."
Members of the California Association for Bilingual Education number more than 8000, while some 11,000 Spanish teachers are members of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish & Portuguese. Publishers such as Mexico's Fondo de Cultura Económica and Spain's Santillana have had offices in the U.S. for several years now, and specifically target the education market with Spanish-language books.
Despite the growth of the Spanish book industry in the U.S. over the last decade, plenty of challenges face the publishers, distributors and bookstores trying to effectively market and profitably sell Spanish books through the trade, education and library channels. What is the most cost-effective way to reach the end consumer in the trade? How to target libraries and other channels? Through which distributors? What is the market demanding?
The Trade Picture
In the trade there are several ways to determine what types of Spanish books are in demand. Asking publishers and booksellers about their top sellers is one way.
Children's Book Press tells PW that Cuadros de familia (Family Pictures) is its bestselling Spanish title to date, with over 200,000 copies sold. Topping the charts at Llewellyn Español is Sueños: Lo que significa para usted, with 55,000 copies in print since its release in September 1996. Fondo de Cultura's Beisbol en abril (Baseball in April) by Gary Soto comes in at more than 40,000 copies sold.
Other solid sellers in the U.S. include Hay House's Usted puede sanar su vida (You Can Heal Your Life), with 31,000 copies sold, Inner Traditions' NumerologÃa and Rodale's Hierbas milagrosas (Miracle Herbs), each with over 15,000 copies sold.
While 15,000 copies may not seem like much to traditional trade publishers of English titles, for Spanish books it is quite respectable, considering the Hispanic population in the U.S. is only about 10% of the overall population. The definition of a Spanish-language bestseller also varies from publisher to publisher and by type of title. For many publishers in Mexico and Latin America whose initial print runs hover around the 2000-copy mark, the idea of selling that many copies in the U.S. makes it a market well worth getting into.
The Library Channel
A second and often overlooked way for publishers to get a feel for market demand is to ask a local librarian. With well over 16,000 public and 4000 university libraries in the U.S., it is local librarians and the distributors that service them who have their fingers on the pulse of Spanish-readers.
Publishers can save both time and money by actively seeking feedback from librarians and library distributors before finalizing their editorial plans. Librarians can tell you not only which books attract the most readers within their library systems, but also what subjects patrons are interested in but for which there is no Spanish material available.
Popular subjects among library patrons include parapsychology, pregnancy and parenting, Latin American literature, romances, career guidance, festivals and customs, and books on tape. Librarians across the country report that history titles are difficult to find in Spanish, particularly those covering the U.S. states and Latin American countries. Also on the most-wanted list are young adult materials, large-print books, cookbooks, home repair, consumer health titles, biographies, and how-tos on cake decorating and crochet.
Large Latino communities are not just limited to Texas, California, Florida and New York. Cities from Atlanta and Colorado Springs to Flint, Cleveland and Fort Wayne all have sizable Hispanic populations.
Sales to libraries are often deemed too labor-intensive by publishers, who would rather spend their customer-service dollars on fewer accounts with greater per-order volume. What these publishers fail to realize is that libraries can represent both a significant and profitable sales channel for Spanish-language titles. Granted, libraries tend to order single-digit copies of most titles, but they rarely return books. Larger library systems also have centralized ordering, which can mean firm sales of 100-plus copies of a single title.
The Queens (N.Y.) Borough Public Library system, for example, has 62 branches that hold more than 200,000 items in Spanish. The Los Angeles County system maintains 84 regional and community libraries, three bookmobiles and a facility at County Juvenile Hall.
Not only do public and academic libraries buy more Spanish books than many publishers realize, but librarians across the board are also discovering that it pays to shop around for books in Spanish. "Typically only 5% of Spanish-language titles we need can be purchased through Baker & Taylor and another 5% is available from Ingram," says Brigida Campos, ethnic evaluator for the L.A. County Library System. "Although both have begun to address Spanish-language materials with catalogues, we purchase the newest titles both in and out of the U.S."
Rafael González of L.A. County's Baldwin Park branch agrees: "We work with several distributors from within the U.S., including Downtown Book Center, Astran, Lectorum, Hispanic Book Distributor and Bernard Hamel Books. But we also work with publishers and distributors from Mexico and Spain. The size of our library, the diversity of our Spanish-speaking community and the limited stock and high prices require that we seek the best titles at the best prices available, and that often means ordering from abroad."
Campos suggests publishers widen their scope of subjects represented in Spanish. "The Spanish-language reading audience is as diverse as ever," Campos affirms. "While there are many new immigrants who need information on basic life needs such as housing and jobs, there are also many interested in in-depth titles on religion, p try, music, art, literature, history and philosophy. And fiction titles that are written by U.S. Latinos for Spanish-speaking teens are few and far between. Nonfiction titles dealing with the issues that confront young adults in the U.S are also scarce."
What all librarians seem to agree on is the need for more information from publishers of Spanish books. Due to the scarcity of reviews of Spanish titles and the lack of advertising in the U.S. by foreign publishers, librarians must rely on publishers and distributors to fill in this information gap. What type of information is most needed? "Catalogues sometimes only provide titles and prices," notes Campos. "Librarians need much more information."
Francisco Gras of Spanish Book Distributors has seen a significant increase in Internet use by librarians for selecting and ordering Spanish books. Although many library systems don't yet allow online ordering, publisher and distributor Web sites are important sources for the detailed information librarians need.
The Distribution Dilemma
Knowing what the market is demanding is only half the battle in Spanish-language publishing. The other half is reaching the consumer.
Publishers and distributors alike see distribution as the main obstacle within the Spanish book industry in the U.S., yet each pinpoints different roots to the problem. "There are not enough Latino bookstores" is one common lament of trade publishers, along with it corollary: "Mainstream stores don't adequately service this market."
"At least in our neck of the woods, the Latino population is underserved by bookstores," says Susie Byrd of Cinco Puntos Press. "Here in the El Paso city limits, we have only two bookstores, both Barnes & Noble stores. There is little if any emphasis in these stores on Latino-specific children's books and bilingual children's books. There is a small store called the Bookery some distance out of town that d s brisk business selling just these types of books."
Borders has made significant changes over the last year to offer more varied, well-labeled sections of Spanish titles. Publishers such as Fondo de Cultura Económica have been quite successful selling their literature and history titles in roughly 100 of Borders's stores nationwide. In fact, their sales to Borders have doubled each year for the last three years.
Latino communities have often relied on nontraditional outlets in their own communities for reading material, which could partially explain why a relatively small percentage of mainstream stores actively target Latinos. How can publishers and distributors target these nontraditional outlets and reach the end consumer? It's not always easy.
For most publishers it's too labor-intensive to target independent pharmacies or bodegas that are not part of a chain of stores. Although some Spanish book distributors specialize in these channels, there are few of them, which means that only those titles with the widest, mass market appeal tend to be placed.
Advance Marketing Services is one distributor that services warehouse clubs such as Costco and Sam's with both English and Spanish titles. AMS also sells to mass merchandisers and superstores like Target, K-Mart and Wal-Mart. Levy is another distributor specializing in these channels.
Giron Spanish Book Distributors, Inc. targets independent Spanish bookstores, supermarkets and music stores, primarily in Mexican communities. "Mass marketers are more selective, often assigning a specific shelf site for a particular title on a 90-day basis," says owner Juan Manuel Giron. "Sell-through percentages must exceed 70% for the book to remain or it is returned for a stronger title. Returns are much higher with this type of customer."
Due to the fast turnover required, not all titles are appropriate for this channel. "Discounters typically want to buy bestsellers that have high turnover rates," Susan Massey of Rodale Press confirms. Two Spanish titles from Rodale due to appear in October in Target, K-Mart and Wal-Mart outlets are Tips de belleza naturales (Natural Beauty Tips) and Curas para el colesterol alto (Cures for High Cholesterol).
Publishers looking to sell their Spanish titles to the discount chains should first analyze their lists to determine which titles, if any, are appropriate for this channel. Supermarkets and discount outlets traditionally stay away from literature, p try and other high-end Spanish titles in favor of subjects with faster turnover, such as novels, self-help and basic how-to titles. Books with list prices over $15 are also harder to sell in these channels.
Before you spend time and money diving into alternative sales channels, look for niches that are appropriate for your Spanish lists. Esoteric titles could do well in local botánicas; small business titles at local Hispanic-owned banks; health and self-help titles in pharmacies; and bilingual dictionaries to professional associations.
The Nature of the Beast
The very nature of the Spanish book business in the trade also contributes to the distribution dilemma. The distribution system that has evolved for Spanish books in the U.S. differs significantly from its English-language counterpart.
There are no large jobbers that stock hundreds of thousands of Spanish titles. Ingram and Baker & Taylor, two giants in English-language book distribution, both stock around 5000 titles in Spanish. The bulk of Spanish book distribution is left to roughly 200 smaller distributors that focus on market niches rather than on pure volume selling. Some of these Spanish distributors, for example, carry only books from Spain, others stock fiction or literature titles, some specialize in the library or university channels, and others focus on books from Central America.
So it is important for publishers to work with as many distributors as possible to cover all potential sales channels. Even though 200 distributor accounts are more difficult to administer than, say, a handful of larger jobbers, it still makes more economic sense than the alternatives: either limit your sales opportunities by limiting the number of distributor-clients or maintain direct accounts with tens of thousands of bookstores and libraries.
It is equally important for libraries to work with a variety of Spanish distributors. Traditionally, public libraries have faced restrictive ordering policies that either limit them to a couple of vendors or obligate them to just one as a result of their bidding systems. This practice of restricting the number of library vendors dramatically reduces the selection possibilities for Spanish books.
In the past year, Ingram has developed a separate catalogue for its Libros en Español. Lorella Ferrari-Pollini, director of international product activity, confirms that the catalogue will be updated annually with new Spanish titles and will continue to feature annotations and cover art. Many Spanish distributors are now offering libraries bibliographic services typically thought possible only through the larger jobbers, thereby eliminating the need to sacrifice selection for convenience and add-on services.
Because most Spanish distributors specialize to some degree, and many utilize just-in-time ordering systems, they miss out on discounts that favor high-volume orders. These distributors knowingly limit the number of titles they carry in order to compete, and as a result, are often hard pressed to make their margins work. Even those distributors that qualify for discounts in the 50% range still are only getting single-digit benefits over retail discounts that can be as much as 45% -- 48%. Much to the dismay of publishers, some smaller Spanish book distributors have opted to raise their prices above the publishers' list to make ends meet.
How to solve this distribution dilemma? Publishers might consider altering their discount schedules for their Spanish lists to allow for greater discounts to distributors. Free local shipping is another alternative. Granted, both options pose problems for publishers, many of whom are already committed to maintaining lower price points for their Spanish books to make them more accessible.
To offset higher discounts, publishers can opt for money-saving practices such as printing their Spanish books outside the U.S. Printing in Mexico, Colombia and Hong Kong is often significantly cheaper, even when the international freight costs of the finished product are factored in.
Marketing Is Key
Despite the challenges of the Spanish book market in the U.S., there is plenty that publishers can do to market and sell their titles. The key to effective marketing, whether for trade titles, children's books or academic titles, is not to take a "one-size-fits-all" approach. What works for one publisher often fails miserably for another. Advertising works for some publishers and is a disaster for others. Consumer book shows are moneymakers for many and time-wasters for many others. Las obras completas de Octavio Paz or Fuentes's Los años con Laura Diaz cannot be marketed (or at least should not) using the same techniques as the Sopa de Alma collection of books.
Just like any business, publishers need a marketing plan, both for individual titles and for their entire publishing program. Such a plan would include short-, medium- and long-term objectives, as well as the specific communication methods and strategies necessary to reach the target market.
One of the few marketing strategies that can have positive results for all types of Spanish books are reviews. Publishers should try to maximize the PR value of each Spanish title to get the greatest possible number of free reviews and radio interviews. This is really the cheapest and most effective way to reach the end consumer.
For trade titles, there are over 450 Latino newspapers in the U.S. -- English-only, Spanish-only and bilingual -- with a combined circulation of 10.8 million. There are also 520 Spanish-language radio stations in the U.S., according to Katz Hispanic Media, which is more than double the number of Spanish-language stations a mere 10 years ago.
Latina magazine, with its bilingual Spanish-English format, reports a circulation of 200,000, while Hispanic Magazine and People en español claim one and two million readers, respectively.
Publishers can target these Latino newspapers, radio stations and magazines themselves with press releases and review copies, or they can work with firms that specialize in Hispanic media. Working with media firms often increases the chances of getting attention for new titles, since these firms have built relationships with the Hispanic media over the years.
For non-trade titles, publishers can seek reviews in specialized publications, bulletins and newsletters that are appropriate to each type of Spanish title. Check out a copy of Gale's Newsletters in Print or Oxbridge's Directory of Newsletters to identify those that meet your needs.
The Direct-Mail Approach
Studies have shown that Hispanic households are one of the most neglected markets in the U.S. when it comes to direct mail. The average American household, for example, receives up to 553 advertising mail pieces per year. In contrast, according to a three-year Hispanic market study conducted by Simmona Market Research, 40% of Hispanic respondents say they receive only 10 advertising pieces annually.
The same study indicates that 72% of Hispanic respondents say that they always read their advertising mail and a surprising 33% said would like to receive even more direct-mail advertising pieces.
Parenting Press and Rodale Press are two non-trade publishers that report using direct-mail for the bulk of their marketing campaigns. "Direct mail is Rodale's primary source for reaching our arget audience," confirms publisher Susan Massey. "Sixty-five percent of our marketing efforts are dedicated to direct mail. It is the most cost-effective method of promotion for our Spanish program."
Direct mail works best when it is qualified. House lists get the best response, but often take years to develop and must be constantly updated. Mailing lists purchased from list brokers can be effective, but should first be checked. Purchase the minimum number of names required and conduct a test mailing before buying the rest of the list. For direct mail to be profitable, the average order should be in the $75 -- $100 range. A variety of payment options is also a must. Since Hispanics in the U.S. rely on credit cards to a much lesser degree than non-Hispanics, restricting payment to credit cards only can also sabotage your direct-mail campaign.
Direct mail is popular with librarians, due to the relative lack of information about Spanish books. Sending periodic new-release lists to libraries is one way to keep the lines of communication open. Working with Reforma (the National Association to Promote Library Service to the Spanish-Speaking), an organization of roughly 900 members dedicated to promoting Spanish-language and Hispanic-oriented library collections, is another option.
Consumer-oriented book fairs can work, but tend to be successful for those trade publishers that can discount their titles to the public for $10 or less. Be prepared to haggle, as visitors to the Miami Book Fair and the Latino Book and Family Festival aren't shy about asking for greater discounts.
Trade shows and conferences such as SALALM (Seminar on the Acquisition of Latin American Library Materials) are best for Spanish titles geared toward the academic library channel, whereas Reforma's is geared toward public libraries.
For education channels, conferences of the California and Texas associations for bilingual education are well worth attending. Trade shows in the university arena include that of the MLA (Modern Language Association) and ACTFL (American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages). Consult the Internet for more information about dates and exhibitors.
One of the problems with traditional trade marketing is that very few publishers use it. Because of the distribution dilemma mentioned earlier, rather than focus the bulk of marketing efforts on the distributors, publishers often compete directly with them and target the end consumer. And a classic catch-22 results: Spanish distributors are often too small and specialized to undertake significant marketing campaigns, and thus look to the publishers. Spanish publishers from other countries tend not to advertise or promote their books in the U.S., which puts the burden back on the distributors.
Amid the chaos, U.S.-based publishers that have a clear long-term vision and well-thought-out sales, marketing and positioning strategies can carve out a profitable niche in the Spanish book industry. Llewellyn Español will soon begin a new trade marketing program called the "Spanish Sales Promotion Kit." Provided at no charge to retailers and distributors, the kit will contain in-store display materials, a window decal, promotional giveaway items, selling tips, informational data about the market and a Spanish vocabulary cheat sheet, among other items.
The Top 10 List
To help publishers reach the expanding Spanish book market in the U.S., here's a top 10 list of things you can do now to get on the right track to greater sales.
10. Get to know your local librarians.
9. More is better. Send librarians detailed information about your new titles. Include synopses, reviews, type of binding and copyright information.
8. Add librarians to your catalogue mailing list.
7. Get involved with library organizations like Reforma, SALALM, CLA (California Library Association), TLA (Texas Library Association) and others.
6. Cover your bases. Work with as many Spanish distributors as possible.
5. Revisit your discount policies. Are your discount schedules too similar for wholesalers and retailers?
4. Don't let your Spanish titles get lost near the end of your general catalogue. A separate four-page mini-catalogue with detailed information is far preferable to a hefty general catalogue with the Spanish books tucked away on page 48.
3. Update your Web site at least monthly. Everyone is online, including the end consumerZ. Recent studies have shown that between 17% and 30% of U.S. Hispanics have Internet access.
2. Consult with the Standard Rate and Data Service (SRDS) to see if there are specialized direct-mail lists available to fit your type of titles.
1. Maintain a long-term vision. Spanish book publishers with a clear sense of where they want to go with their sales, marketing and positioning have a much better chance of getting there!
Kiser is executive director of Kiser & Associates, a consulting firm specializing in strategic marketing services for the Spanish book industry.
