📖 With no comprehensive databases, and no market data, the Egyptian book publishing industry is relying on shots in the dark. In an industry defined by razor-thin margins and high risks, entrepreneurs are forced to make uninformed decisions, Diwan Bookstore co-founder Nadia Wassef tells us. Any judgment calls “are stabs in the dark by blindfolded people in a dark alley,” she says.

By contrast, London or New York publishing houses are built on certainty, structure, and rigorous data. A book’s journey is planned a year in advance, with meticulous marketing charted — a novel’s path as a supermarket impulse buy or a literary prize contender is decided before it is written. Databases track the exact history of every title: how many sold, how many returned, and who bought them.

To understand the miracle of the Egyptian creative economy, we must understand the brutal economics threatening to dismantle it. A crippling surge in production expenses has fundamentally altered the industry’s financial landscape. “In the past, you could print a book for [around] EGP 15–20 and sell it for the same. Now, printing alone can cost EGP 110 — and that’s not including rights, translation, or any other costs,” Tanmia Bookstore founder Khaled Lotfy points out.

For the Egyptian consumer, whose spending power has all but disappeared, this is a hard pill to swallow. “People who used to have a certain budget for books — which could buy them maybe 10 books — now can only afford one or two,” Lotfy told us, noting a unique resistance to price hikes in the cultural sector. “It’s [difficult] for people to accept that a book that used to cost EGP 10 is now EGP 40-50. But the whole book business [is still] a business at the end of the day.”

The Egyptian book services market was valued at approximately USD 213.6 mn in 2024, but growth is sluggish, with analysts projecting a modest 2.6% annual growth through 2030. While reports cite inflation and counterfeiting as primary hurdles, the reality on the ground is even starker. “You can’t fault it,” she says, “People were buying food, not books. I get it.”

Bridging this gap requires a balancing act between survival and empathy for the consumer, Cherry Blossom Books founder Somaya Salama says. Having weathered previous devaluations, Salama learned that sudden price hikes leave booksellers stuck with unsold stock. Her pricing strategy has shifted to slow and incremental increases to absorb the economic blow, finding a price point that is “fair for the customer and fair for [the business],” even if it means operating dangerously close to cost.

This is the paradox of the Egyptian market: it is structurally fragile, but culturally invincible. If you look at the spreadsheets, the Egyptian book market should have collapsed. But if you look at the streets, the opposite is happening. Amidst a crushing economic crisis, the Cairo International Book Fair recorded over 5 mn visitors for two years in a row.

How does this blindfolded industry find its footing in a rapidly changing world? Strategy, collaboration, and operational sustainability, Diwan Bookstore CEO Amal Mahmoud tells us. “We’ve been focusing on extending into the digital sphere on different platforms to continue connecting and expanding the community of readers, even during the age of digital alienation,” Mahmoud explains. Humans will always crave connection and a sense of community, and Diwan continues to foster the idea of the bookstore as a cultural destination, she adds. Initiatives like Photopia, Cairo Design Week, and Cairo Food Week are evidence that Egypt’s creative economy thrives precisely because it offers what the digital world cannot: a physical, communal experience.

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