The Mexican book industry has asked President Claudia Sheinbaum for five major changes to help it overcome growing difficulties. The Cámara Nacional de la Industria Editorial Mexicana (CANIEM), a national association representing publishers and booksellers, has requested a meeting with the president to discuss reforms such as enforcing a single price for books, having direct talks with professionals in the field, removing value-added tax (VAT) for booksellers and distributors, restarting library purchases, and improving policies that promote reading. These requests follow news that Ediciones Era, a well-known publishing house established in 1960, plans to drastically cut its operations, showing the challenges the sector is facing. CANIEM said that publishers and booksellers are dealing with tough conditions, partly because there is no consistent public policy supporting books and reading. The organization pointed to the Ley de Fomento para la Lectura y el Libro, a law that allows publishers and importers to set the public price of each book, but stressed that the law needs better enforcement. The Procuraduría Federal del Consumidor (Profeco), a federal agency, is currently in charge of making sure this single price policy is followed, a rule that was introduced in a 2023 reform. CANIEM also asked for an extension of the zero VAT rate for booksellers and distributors. This was part of President Sheinbaum’s 100 pasos para la transformación, a set of initial policy changes. While books are already exempt from VAT in Mexico, the current law only lets those who publish the books claim VAT credits on their expenses. Booksellers and distributors, who do not publish the books they sell, are not allowed to do this. The group also wants libraries to start buying new books again, noting that it has been seven years since the last update of school library collections. In addition, CANIEM wants the national reading policy to be strengthened, especially the Programa Nacional de Lectura, which is meant to support the entire book industry. The organization urged the federal government to have direct communication with all players in the field, not just state-run publishers. It also warned that without action, more companies in the sector could face conditions they cannot sustain. The challenges facing the Mexican book industry are part of a larger trend seen in other countries. In Argentina, independent bookstores have experienced a 41.5% drop in sales. In Ukraine, the book industry is at risk of collapsing due to the ongoing conflict. Meanwhile, in the United States, publishers are adjusting to changing reader preferences by making children's books shorter and using more illustrations.