WATERSTONE'S M.D. RESPONDS TO GUARDIAN CRITICISM

Yes, we're big. But Waterstone's is still passionate about books We host countless reading groups, and have turned new writers into bestsellers

Gerry Johnson, guardian.co.uk, Thursday 12 November 2009

Stuart Jeffries used six pages in your G2 section to lay the book trade's perceived ills at Waterstone's door, yet found no room to highlight how our company is at the forefront of a vibrant industry that faces great challenges (Sold out, 10 November).
He writes: "The worry is that ... there is no new generation of British literary talent to follow the likes of Martin Amis, Julian Barnes and Ian McEwan." He quotes Nicholas Spice, publisher of the London Review of Books, saying: "They can't afford to care about the quality of what they're selling."

Yet in a few weeks we will choose our latest New Voices, which introduce the best new literary authors – nearly always debuts – to a massive audience. In our first two years our booksellers chose – before they received any media or awards attention – titles such as The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga, and The Outcast by Sadie Jones. Only a national specialist chain can fulfil this role.
Jeffries believes the atmosphere in Waterstone's is one where "you're invited to buy as much as possible and then shove off". This is not the reality of a network of hugely inviting stores that give people the opportunity to meet writers they love. Waterstone's hosts countless reading groups – some of which have helped decide the winner of the Guardian first book award. Over the last year we have held nearly 9,000 events.

Our sponsorship of the children's laureate has helped Michael Rosen, Jacqueline Wilson and Anthony Browne champion kids' books to the nation, and our children's book prize turns new writers into bestselling authors every year.

"I'd make the shops like old-fashioned reading lounges … like you had in Edwardian times," suggests Tim Coates (a former Waterstone's managing director). But our customers' needs are different to those of shoppers a century ago. Our industry must look to the future and adapt to changes in demand, taste and technology.
Read the full Waterstone's response at the Guardian online.