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 ]
New numbers from Nielsen Books & Consumer show that ebook sales were outsold by both hardcovers and paperbacks in the first half of 2014. The post Print Continues to Outsell Digital During First Half of 2014 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-10-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Online retailers and publishers are pushing back against Facebook Inc. FB -0.20% 's efforts to track users across the Internet, fearing that the data it vacuums up to target ads will give the social network too much of an edge. Web traffic exp ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2014-09-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Finding authors from small presses might be getting easier.It's tough being an indie author. These writers lack the marketing resources of those working with big publishing houses, making it difficult to get their works on the shelves of bookstores and libraries. Readers, meanwhile, often have... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2014-09-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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E-book Sales Level OffFor the moment, publishers say that ebook sales in Canada have plateaued. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ellora’s Cave CEO Patty Marks confirmed the house is downsizing in the wake of what she described as "drastic" and unexplained declines in its ebook sales via Amazon. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-08-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Seven U.K. Small Presses have banded together to bring wider retail distribution and greater sales to their graphic novels in the U.S. comics market. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-08-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette finance chief plays down effect of Amazon tactics as parent Lagardère reports 1% overall dip in salesThe Hachette publishing group has reported a fall in ebook sales as it continues its battle with Amazon over pricing.The publisher of Ian Rankin and Booker prize nominee Joshua Ferris... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-08-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette Book Group's ebook sales declined in the first half of 2014, and the impact of the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-07-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hugh Howey says his study, based on calculation of Amazon sales, shows 'real progress' for authors who have chosen to go it aloneA new report claims that self-published authors have surged to 31% of ebook sales on Amazon.com, and are now earning more ebook royalties than writers published by the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After months of wielding the stick, Amazon is trying the carrot—or at least pretending to—in its feud with Hachette over ebook pricing. Early this week, it sent a letter to “a few authors and agents” with a sugarcoated proposal to “take authors out of the middle” of the dispute. So long as... Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2014-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ebook sales for the Conservative MP in May topped 100,000, ahead of John Green and Jo NesboDigested read: The Four Streets by Nadine DorriesExtract: The Four StreetsNadine Dorries' first novel, a "heartbreaking family saga set in 1950s Liverpool", has sold more than 100,000 copies, according to... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-07-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HarperCollins has relaunched its US website, with direct to consumer print and ebook sales. The... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Independent bookshops need to make readers feel special in order to compete against online retailers, say book trade experts. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2014-07-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin, the chair of Irish PEN, outlines how Ireland continues to punch above its weight in the literary world. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Led by a 65.1% increase in ebook sales, January sales jumped 43.7% in the children’s/young adult category compared to January 2013, according to figures in AAP’s StatShot program. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Led by a 65.1% increase in ebook sales, January sales jumped 43.7% in the children/young adult category in 2014 compared to January 2013, according to figures in AAP’s StatShot program. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In recent months, the double-digit sales growth of ebooks in English has begun to plateau, but since the Spanish-language book market tends to be around three to five years behind the English-language market, ebook sales of Spanish books in the U.S. are just beginning to gain traction. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Diagram prize, honouring the year's strangest title, awarded to self-help guide to toilet etiquetteIn pictures: Thirty odd years of the Diagram prizePowered by the British public's unstoppable enthusiasm for toilet humour, the enticingly-titled How to Poo on a Date has carried off this... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Germany's small press scene is thriving, with an eclectic mix of ambitious publishers seeking out new authors, experimenting with formats and finding audiences. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-03-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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