The International Publishers Association (IPA) has urged governments around the world to support and celebrate the importance of books by adopting economic stimulus packages to sustain their publishing sectors and the value chains that surround them.

In a statement released on Thursday to mark World Book Day, the group warned that the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the world’s creative industries, including the book sector, has been devastating.

“In many countries, our industry is already struggling for oxygen. We must find ways to ensure the future for authors, publishers, editors, designers, distributors, booksellers and those who work in collective management, so that the book industry can bounce back once this pandemic is conquered,” reads the statement.

The IPA emphasised the importance of books in the time of social distancing, saying, “books are what people turn to in difficult times,” but warned that the chain of workers and organisations that produces them “is under imminent threat.”

“A world without new books would be a sad and impoverished place. We are working hard to come through this crisis, but we need help to survive. We need governments to help us get through it together,” the statement reads.