We have already talked about books several times in the Blesku podcast, most recently we revealed with guests from the Albatros publishing house whether the Czech Republic is at risk of interference with their texts. In the new volume, Adam Pýcha from Knih Dobrovský accepted the invitation. In his own words, “a geek, an occasional speaker, a book addict, a marketing director, a lover of caps and bizarre humor, a chatty introvert and an extroverted writer.” It was also said that books have had a good year. “He’s certainly successful, but at that moment it starts to get complicated,” he told Blesku. “Nobody knows what’s in store for books in the next month, how much energy will cost, how much paper will cost… I think most publishers would say: We’re managing somehow and looking forward to better times.” He especially values the fact that readers often resort to books. “Which we could see, for example, during the covid era,” he said.
Surveys show that books are an increasingly welcome companion, and there’s a good reason. They can be talked about, they can be experienced with loved ones as well as alone. | Blesk – Midjourney AI, idh
We also discussed trends in literature, when after the intense wave of Nordic detective stories, interest in stories from the Second World War grew, and other trends appeared. “The ones I adore are, for example, manga comics, which you hardly saw in most bookstores a few years ago,” said Pýha, recalling the major hit, the book Housewives by author Kósuke Óno. It tells the funny story of a man who used to be the scariest member of the Yakuza. There are many legends about him in the underworld. They called him the “Immortal Dragon”. But one day, he decided to leave his dark past behind and embark on a new journey – that of a household man!
“Another trend is certainly new adult romances, mainly by German writers Mona Kasten and others. They really dominate sales. Their authors, even if they release a debut, can often sell 100,000 or 200,000 copies,” revealed Pýcha. The works he writes are more a woman’s business. But what is the ratio between readers, are they really ruled by the fairer sex? “If we look, for example, at Book Addicts, our Facebook group, there are now about 92% women. Male readers are often more collectors or are focused on a specific genre, in which they may even be fanatics,” said Pýcha.
For example, when it comes to books in the fantasy genre, Pýcha is on the side of Czech authors. “Czech writers write amazing things of world quality. A translated book, for example, from the United States, which sells a million copies, can be a completely average thing that had great marketing,” he said, citing Františka Kotletu as an example, whose latest release was Black Pack and especially the fascinating Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia in the early nineties, published under the author’s real name Leoš Kyša. These titles also appeared among the tips that Pýcha recommended not only as Christmas gifts for bookworms. In the podcast, he also explained to everyone why e-books are sometimes just as expensive (rarely more expensive) than paper books.
But what will you find among the mentioned tips? Carefully and lovingly selected pieces for ladies and gentlemen, for adventurers, for inquisitive and romantic souls. You will also find out if we will still meet muscular men from the photobanks on the covers in the red library, how good Italian thrillers, Czech biographies, and the continuation of the stories of the dog Gump can be. That a limited collector’s series of books by Darcy Coates is about to hit the shelves, and what a surprise is already waiting for the readers of the title In her heart, the world shatters by the successful JD Barker.
Like the expected book, open the new episode of the Blesku Podcast and devour the sentences, this time not written, but spoken by an expert in the spoken word, Adam Pýcha.