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 ]
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 ]
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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 ]
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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 ]
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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 ]
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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 ]
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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 ]
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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 ]
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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 ]
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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 ]
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The second day of Sharjah Bookseller Conference featured commentary on family-owned retail companies and technology. The post Sharjah’s Third Booksellers Conference: ‘Acumen and Dynamism’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-05-01 18:16:19 UTC ]
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Seminary Co-op booksellers and friends have held a number of conversations with legendary bookseller Paul Yamazaki throughout the past two years, in the intoxicating stacks of City Lights, perambulating the streets of San Francisco, and over whiskey tumblers deep into the night. With Paul we’ve... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-04-19 08:59:44 UTC ]
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A nonprofit that distributed books for many of the country’s small presses has closed, and the fallout could affect the publishing industry in ways both big and small. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2024-04-17 09:03:54 UTC ]
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The Ingram sales rep “represents a dizzying array of imprints” and is “a tireless partner in smoothing hitches in the supply chain,” according to one bookseller partner. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-04-17 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The closure of SPD, one of the last independent distributors remaining in the United States, is the latest blow to small presses looking for options to get their titles into bookstores and other accounts. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Fortified by advice and tips from Ann Patchett and Emma Straub, her fellow authors-turned-indie-booksellers, the author of 'Fates and Furies' and 'Matrix' readies to open her new bookstore, the Lynx, in downtown Gainesville, Fla., this spring. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-18 04:00:00 UTC ]
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A new plan by the iconic Denver bookseller sees a streamlined company emerging from bankruptcy as early as June and returning to profitability next year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-11 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The Bookseller Oral History Project, a program intended to document and preserve the history of bookselling in the U.S., has found a permanent home at the University of Iowa Libraries. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-05 05:00:00 UTC ]
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An independent publisher considers the challenges and opportunities for small presses in her home market. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-23 05:00:00 UTC ]
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An independent publisher considers the challenges and opportunities for small presses in her home market. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-23 05:00:00 UTC ]
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I always imagined, that, given the choice, I would read my own audiobook. I had heard memoirs often sounded best in the author’s throat—something about the familiar tang of the hardship unspooled. But had I written a memoir? A bookseller acquaintance asked me that a year before the publication... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-02-22 09:54:39 UTC ]
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