A survey of indie presses shows that 60% fear they could be out of business by the autumn, writes Galley Beggar Press cofounder Sam JordisonOver the past few years, the success of independent publishers such as Fitzcarraldo, And Other Stories, Bluemooose and Influx Press has been something to behold. They have won prizes, engaged readers and published innovative and important books. Now that wonderful literary flowering is in danger. A survey on the impact of Covid-19 on small presses, carried out by the Bookseller and writer development charity Spread the Word, reveals that 60% of the small presses polled fear they could be out of business by the autumn, 75% don’t know if they will make it beyond March next year, while 85% of the publishers have seen sales drop by more than half.Small presses have been hit especially hard because they are more dependent on physical sales in bookstores, rather than online retailers or ebook sales. I know, because my publisher, Galley Beggar Press, has also seen a big chunk of its income disappear. One of the great strengths of our kind of publishing is that we have a real connection with dedicated readers who love books as physical objects, readers who have an equally strong connection with booksellers. A great deal of what we do relies on the enthusiasm and personal recommendations of those heroes of our trade whose shops Covid-19 has closed. We have lost many of our best advocates, not to mention the most practical way of getting books... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2020-05-15 06:00:32 UTC ]
White Nights, the author’s 1848 novella, sounds an unlikely candidate to go viral, but the story of lovelorn loneliness is now a favourite among TikTok and Instagram usersBeing popular on TikTok can make just about anything fly off the shelves, from beauty products to cucumbers, which became one... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-12-17 17:45:43 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Andrew Cuomo, the disgraced former governor, seems to inch closer and closer to running for mayor.He clearly hoped Mayor Eric Adams, indicted on corruption charges in September, would resign, triggering a special election. Cuomo, for now, seems less enthusiastic about taking on Adams directly.... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2024-12-03 18:43:26 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The Bookseller has selected six books for their 46th annual Diagram Prize shortlist for The Oddest Book Title of the Year, a prize they’ve been awarding since 1978. (According to Sarah Lyall, the prize began “as a way for Bruce Robertson, co-founder of the Diagram Group, an information and... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-11-18 19:09:25 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Chefs, writers, editors and a bookseller gathered to debate — and decide — which titles have most changed the way we cook and eat. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2024-11-15 10:03:24 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Artificial intelligence makers have faced a mountain of criticism for borrowing from the work of others to train its models. Now the world’s largest publishing house is taking steps to ensure its authors don’t have their work plagiarized in the name of progress. The Bookseller reports that... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2024-10-18 21:04:36 UTC ]
More news stories like this
LeasesTD Bank expands with SL GreenAddress: 125 Park Ave., ManhattanLandlord: SL GreenTenant: TD BankLease size: 130,057 square feetLease length: 10 yearsAsset type: OfficeBrokers: CBRE's Robert Alexander, Ryan Alexander, Matthew Saker and Nicole Marshall represented the tenant. Newmark's Brian... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2024-10-07 17:24:22 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Booksellers gathered at the home of the Rose Bowl for the California Independent Booksellers Alliance’s Fall Fest 2024, which took place September 17–18. Of 177 bookseller members from across the Golden State, 83 were first-time attendees; 46 exhibitor organizations and 36 authors also came to... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-09-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
A sweetly situated bookstore and its bookseller in France leads Richard Charkin to speculate on job titles in publishing. The post Richard Charkin in France: What’s in a Name? appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-08-30 19:45:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Leonard Riggio, a brash, self-styled underdog who transformed the publishing industry by building Barnes & Noble into the country’s most powerful bookseller but later saw his company overtaken by the rise of Amazon Continue reading at ABC News
[ ABC News | 2024-08-27 20:22:22 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The national bookseller is continuing its comeback this year, with the most openings in a single year since at least 2009. In a news environment filled with gloomy stories about the decline of brick-and-mortar retail, we’ll take the wins where we can get them. Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2024-08-16 20:13:57 UTC ]
More news stories like this
For some regional bookseller associations, joint trade shows are a winning formula. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-08-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Sourcebooks is expanding its reach into the indie bookseller sales channel by replacing commission reps with an in-house sales team. The Chicagoland-based publisher has poached Courtney Payne from Chronicle Books to lead the team as director of indie retail sales. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-07-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Over 500 industry professionals sign open letter to bookseller after employee’s post about ‘tearing up books’ by Christina DalcherMore than 500 authors and book industry professionals have signed an open letter calling on Waterstones to reverse a decision to dismiss an employee who said she... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-07-11 10:31:48 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Samuel Roth was the sort of bookseller whose wares came wrapped in brown paper. Titles like Gershon Legman’s The Sexual Conduct of Men and Women, Maxwell Bodenheim’s My Life and Loves in Greenwich Village, and most notoriously his anthologized periodical of high-brow smut, American Aphrodite: A... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-07-03 08:56:41 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The future of the Australian online bookseller has grown more uncertain with the appointment of a firm to undertake “an urgent assessment of Booktopia’s business.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-07-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Looking for a productive way to read and take notes at the same time? Then you probably need this Kindle Scribe that’s currently only $280, way down from its usual price tag of $390. Unlike the other Kindle devices that are mainly for reading, the Kindle Scribe is designed for jotting... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2024-06-10 14:21:42 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Today's links include the continued rise in independent bookstores, a master bookseller on bookselling, and more. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-05-24 19:41:49 UTC ]
More news stories like this
In “Reading the Room,” Paul Yamazaki, the chief buyer for City Lights Booksellers, calls this “one of the richest and most rewarding times” to be a literature fan. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2024-05-23 09:00:58 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The management of Chicago's Seminary Co-op and and 57th Street Books has voluntarily recognized a union formed by bookseller employees of the member-owned cooperative. SCBU IU 660 is a branch of the Industrial Workers of the World. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this