Bookselling - is it in crisis?

Written by Tim Godfray in Book Brunch
Thursday, 03 December 2009 10:37

Booksellers can enjoy a healthy future - but only if publishers support them, writes Tim Godfray

In a week when the news from the book trade has been so troubling, it’s surely timely to take a wider look at how bookselling is faring across the industry.
Bookselling generally
Is bookselling as we know it falling apart? Absolutely not. Sales in the consumer market are only down by minus 1.0% - not an unexpected trend during a recession. Although we would all welcome a positive figure, books are holding up. The book is still a consumer item of choice.

But bookselling is very diverse and it is a complex sector. Some members are doing well at the moment. There have been some really encouraging reports from independents and academic bookshops recently. But some businesses are undeniably struggling - and when big groups like STL and Borders run into real difficulty, it is a cause for very real concern.

The book trade has had to face two major changes these last 15 years. First, the end of the Net Book Agreement in 1995; and secondly, the arrival of the internet.
Link to Book Brunch to read Godfray's full story.