A new report on the global book market for the first half of 2026 was released on Monday, October 5, just before the Frankfurt Book Fair, which begins on October 7. The study was conducted by NielsenIQ BookData and GfK Entertainment, both part of the NielsenIQ group. Among the 19 markets analyzed, 11 showed revenue growth, but France did not: its book market declined by 5.4% in value and 6.2% in volume, with 124 million books sold during the period. Poland had the worst performance, with a 11.7% drop in value and 11.3% in volume. Wallonia, a region in Belgium, also saw a 4.9% volume decrease. Growth in the global market was led by India, which saw a 16.7% increase in value and 8.3% in volume, and Brazil, with a 12.6% and 10.5% rise, respectively. Other notable performers included New Zealand (+7.2%) and Australia (+5.6%) in Oceania. In Europe, Italy and Spain showed the strongest growth, with increases of 5.1% and 3.9%, respectively. Average book prices rose in 11 of the 19 territories, though mostly below the 4.7% global inflation rate predicted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for 2026. Adult fiction was the main driver of growth, with the genre now representing more than a third of printed books sold across all studied countries. Three out of four territories saw revenue increases, often in double digits. Thrillers and mysteries were particularly popular, with The House Wife series by Freida McFadden appearing in the top 20 bestsellers in 13 territories. The series had multiple titles in the top ten in several markets, including eight in Wallonia, six in France, and six in French-speaking Switzerland. Science fiction and fantasy also remained strong, with established authors like Rebecca Yarros (Empyrean) and Sarah J. Maas (Keleana) contributing to the trend. The growing influence of BookTok, a social media platform that promotes books, has helped bring genre fiction to a younger and more international audience. Graphic novels experienced the most spectacular growth, with value increases of over 30% in many countries. In contrast, non-fiction faced challenges, with only four countries showing value growth. Personal development, once a key driver of the non-fiction market, saw the most significant decline. Bestsellers like Atomic Habits by James Clear and The Let Them Theory by Mel and Sawyer Robbins remained popular, but the category lost momentum, declining in all studied territories except New Zealand. The children's book and young adult market showed mixed results, with ten territories recording growth. Notably, Germany and the United States, two of the world's largest book markets, were excluded from the analysis. The study covered printed book sales in 19 territories, including Australia, Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia), Brazil, Colombia, Spain, France, India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Switzerland (German-speaking and French-speaking regions). NielsenIQ BookData and GfK Entertainment will present the findings at the Frankfurt Book Fair, including sessions on the global comics market and the future of publishing in India.