Bookselling is local

In a story All Bookselling Is Local, Karen Holt of Publisher's Weekly, begins by saying: 'Conventional wisdom goes like this: for a decade, superstore expansion has barrelled across the country, driving out all but a few plucky independents, turning bookselling into a monolithic industry with all the local flavour of a Banana Republic.'

Good news is that 'it ain't necessarily so'. (Apologies Porgy and Bess, Gershwin)

The report says that Publisher's Weekly dispatched a team of staff editors, correspondents and freelancers, in 2007, to take a state-by-state look at bookselling in the US. They interviewed hundreds of retailers, publishers' reps and others in the book business, to arrive at the conclusion that bookselling is local.

Barnes & Noble, Borders and Amazon expand their hegemony, and independents' struggle to survive, it continues, Indies that are still in the game have developed strategies that enable them to avoid going head-to-head with national retailers on price and selection. They set up bookstores where big chains won't go and focus on a niche. In Indiana, a largely rural community, 97 of its 142 bookstores are independents focusing on the needs of the local population. But in high income areas, soaring rentals are pricing booksellers out of the market.

Finding the right niche is key in an age of specialty stores. Bookstores need to make their space a centre for activity, not just a place to shelve books. That would include hosting workshops, book clubs and book signing. As publishers become more and more reluctant to send their authors on signing tours due to high costs and poor attendance at such events, booksellers are showcasing local talent.

The story also shows some interesting statistics. For example, did you know that Wyoming has one store for every 13,000 residents and New York has one store for every 43, 997 persons? There is no mention of the size of the stores.

Publisher's Weekly

In Europe

In another story Viva la Difference!, Publisher's Weekly Ruediger Wischenbart looks at how specialization becomes the fashion in Europe as publishers look for ways to differentiate themselves.

This increasing differentiation is the fallout of globalization, says Wischenbart. I guess' this is also a reaction against giant corporations who try to be all things to everybody, and in the end don't do anything well at all.

Interestingly, the report says that '... 40% of all bestselling titles across Europe originate locally, not globally or even internationally, with a good number of those successful titles spreading, through translations, across the continent'. (What is it in ASEAN? Zero point zero zero one percent? Not that much?)

Also '... the European Union has announced the launch of a European digital library, slated for November 2008, that promises to make available at least two million books, photographs, maps, archival records and film material from Europe's libraries, archives and museums, and to expand that to six million items by 2010'.

Publisher's Weekly

Meanwhile in Britain ...

One in four adults surveyed admit that they haven't read a book for a year. These are the honest ones. And nearly half in the poll admitted to lying about their reading to appear more intelligent. (Get that? Books can make you look more intelligent. Go the nearest bookstore
now!)

The research also showed that half of adults had read at least five books in the previous 12 months. (Not bad, if true.) One third took on 'challenging literature' to look more well read, even if they didn't understand what they were reading. And 40% lied about having read a certain book so that they could join in the conversation.

This is part of a Government campaign to target reluctant readers, particular boys and their fathers. About 4000 people responded to this survey by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council.

The Daily Mail