Coronavirus has left small publishers desperately fighting for survival

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 ]

Other news stories related to: "Coronavirus has left small publishers desperately fighting for survival"

Tinder bags debut novel of former Mr B's bookseller Ishiguro

Tinder Press has acquired a debut novel by Naomi Ishiguro, former bookseller and bibliotherapist at Mr B’s Emporium in Bath. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-20 02:07:21 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Daly named O'Brien Press Bookseller of the Year

Antonia Daly has won The O’Brien Press Bookseller of the Year Award, commended for personifying prized qualities including knowledge, passion, courage and an ability to find the right book for customers. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-19 07:20:10 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Over half of Tate's London bookshop staff at risk of redundancy

More than half of Tate's London bookshop staff are facing redundancy, with several roles in its books team and publishing operation also at risk, The Bookseller has learned. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-16 14:07:35 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Alderton, Osman and Babalola among bookseller tips for bumper autumn

A number of figures from across the retail spectrum are enthused by the prospect of a bumper autumn of releases, after many were delayed owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-14 03:13:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this

My Job in Five: Annabelle Wright

Annabelle Wright, campaigns manager for ed public relations, talks to The Bookseller for My Job in Five. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-14 02:37:10 UTC ]
More news stories like this

The long view

The Bookseller has been sold just three times in its 162-year history; the first time in 1998 by the founding Whitaker family to VNU (now better known as Nielsen), the second time in 2010 to Nigel Roby, and then, as announced last week, to the publisher of the Stage magazine. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-14 02:02:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this

'It's a mega year!': book trade braces for autumn onslaught of major new titles

After the lockdown, hundreds of delayed titles are expected this autumn including many household names vying for Christmas successFrom Richard Osman’s first crime novel to Caitlin Moran’s new memoir, almost 600 hardbacks are due to be published on 3 September in a “massive bun fight” of new... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-08-13 06:00:47 UTC ]
More news stories like this

A Bookstore That Shines as ‘a Lighthouse of a Free Society’

A Hong Kong bookseller has recreated his shop in Taipei, and it has become a symbol of Taiwan’s vibrant democracy. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-08-09 07:00:10 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Nigel Roby Sells the UK’s ‘The Bookseller’ to Stage Media Company

Calling his ownership and management of The Bookseller 'the greatest privilege of my working life,' Nigel Roby sells The Stage's Hugh Comerford. The post Nigel Roby Sells the UK’s ‘The Bookseller’ to Stage Media Company appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-08-07 09:05:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this

The Bookseller acquired by publisher of the Stage

The Bookseller has been acquired by the publisher of theatre magazine the Stage, in a move that will see the 162-year-old book trade newspaper join forces with the 140-year-old brand. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-06 12:20:48 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Sales at HMH Took Big Hit in Q2

A 38% plunge in sales in its education group in the second quarter of 2020 led to an overall decline of 35.5% in sales at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt compared to a year ago. Costs cuts limited the impact of the sales drop on the publisher's bottom line. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-08-06 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

On Capitol Hill, an anonymous bookseller called out Amazon.

If you tuned into yesterday’s historic House Judiciary Subcommittee antitrust hearing, during which the top executives of some of the world’s largest tech companies tried convincing politicians that they weren’t monopolies, you may have heard a bookseller chime in during Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’s... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-07-30 19:54:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Cape scoops 'exceptional' Hamya debut

Jonathan Cape has scooped an “exceptional” debut novel from journalist and former Waterstones bookseller Jo Hamya. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-21 17:27:41 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Barnes & Noble Regroups and Looks Ahead

After the shutdown, layoffs, and a major redesign, the bookseller is reopening its stores in an uncertain book market. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-07-17 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

My Job in Five: Dhara Snowden

Dhara Snowden, senior commissioning editor at Rowman & Littlefield takes The Bookseller behind the scenes. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-14 01:03:02 UTC ]
More news stories like this

A Tale of Two Economic Indicators: Publishing’s Long Road to Recovery Will Require More Detours

This morning I woke up to two very different pieces of news, yet they are very much connected. The first was the news that the U.S. unemployment rate fell to 11.1% in June, and as a nation we added 4.8 million jobs to the economy. Certainly it’s good news that the trend line has moved downward... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2020-07-02 16:42:10 UTC ]
More news stories like this

The Bookseller asks for trade views of social media

The Bookseller would like to capture the trade’s thoughts on social media and, in particular, "cancel culture" and its impacts on UK publishing, bookselling and writing. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-01 19:32:20 UTC ]
More news stories like this

One more week to book for Bookseller Marketing & Publicity Conference

Just one week remains until the Bookseller Marketing & Publicity Conference 2020, themed How We Work Now and tackling the challenges presented by our post-Covid world. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-26 00:05:47 UTC ]
More news stories like this

#AuthorFirst | Louise Candlish on The Other Passenger

This week, Louise Candlish is publishing her latest novel The Other Passenger, the first title in her latest two-book deal with Simon & Schuster UK. She spoke to The Bookseller on Twitter about her new book, her influences and her past successes. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-23 00:11:29 UTC ]
More news stories like this