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 ]
The ebook market has begun to slow, with the post-Christmas peak in ebook sales less pronounced... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
For the fifth year in a row, UK book revenue is down, as consumers switch from print to digital formats and from physical shops to online retailers, even for print purchases. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Surprisingly, Apple leads Brazil's ebook sales, but by 2014 Amazon should dominate, with Kobo, Google, Saraiva and others behind. We explain why. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-01-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
It's been quite a year for Newsweek. As the magazine plans for its transition to a digital-only future, you can count the remaining print editions of the storied publication on one hand. It's without question that this fall has been a tough one for the 80 year old magazine, capped by the... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2012-12-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Writer Cathy Glass has reached one million in physical sales in the UK since her debut in 2007,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Australian book sales have plunged 10% in 2012, but ebook sales are finally taking off, writes Andrew Wilkins. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-10-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The ebook format became the most popular one for adult fiction in 2011, surpassing hardcover books and paperbacks, according to an annual survey. Net revenue from ebook sales over all more than doubled from 2010. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2012-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Publishers are "missing out" on ebook sales to schools because of the lack of a... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
According to the newest figures from Bowker Market Research, online retailers accounted for 39% of all book sales in 2011, up from 30% in 2010. The increase gave the online channel, led by Amazon and BN.com, a commanding lead over bookstore chains as the largest outlet for sales. The chains,... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-05-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
All hail the ebook! Seriously, if it weren't for this marvelous literary development, try saying with a straight face that you wouldn't at least take pause before adding a new title to your collection. Numbers are in from The Publisher's Association -- a group of 120 companies across the trade... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
It’s not just trade bookstores that are feeling the pinch from online retailers and other discounters. At the National Association of College Stores’ Campus Market Expo held earlier this month at the Salt Lake Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, NACS’s OnCampus Research division... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
When Noel Young launched Santa Barbara–based Capra Press in 1969 and began to publish a literary who’s who of writers that included Anaïs Nin, Henry Miller, Raymond Carver, Lawrence Durrell, and Ursula K. Le Guin it was a vibrant time for independent bookstores and small presses, the beginning... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
In the early days of the digital revolution, most independent publishers were moving slower than the larger houses in getting on the ebook bandwagon. That period has clearly passed. With only a couple of exceptions, the publishers that made it onto this year’s edition of PW’s fast-growing small... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-03-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
With iPad 3 rumored to be on the way—possibly boasting a sharper screen and talking personal assistant Siri—Apple CEO Tim Cook may drop the price of the iPad 2 so he can go after the cheaper tablet market now dominated by Amazon's Kindle and Barnes & Noble's Nook. Analysts figure a $200 to... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2012-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Despite technological petting zoos, QR codes on shelf-talkers linked to bookstores’ Web sites, and in-store displays of physical books with signage reminding readers that they can also buy e-editions, only a handful of independents are making more than about $100 or so on ebook sales a month. To... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-02-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Strong ebook sales over the festive period compensated for the decline in physical sales,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-01-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Hachette has reported a "blockbuster Christmas for ebooks", selling more than 100,000... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-01-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
A few days after Amazon announced that the Steve Jobs biography was its top-selling book of 2011 (combined print and ebook sales), the book debuted on bestseller charts around the world, including the three countries highlighted this month. Steve Jobs was #3 in France and the Netherlands, and... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Written By: Tom Holman Publication Date: Tue, 08/11/2011 - 15:57 The books industry is not doing enough to attract and train staff to take advantage of the surge in ebook sales, this years Digital Book Census survey from The Bookseller has found. The survey of more than 2,200 people, nearly... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-11-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
For nearly a decade, some say even longer, people in the publishing industry have been decrying the death of the midlist. As the story goes, the industry consolidatedsmaller and midsize publishers were gobbled up and brought together into six large houses that themselves are small pieces of... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-11-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this