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High street bookshops need greater support - Streeter
16.05.11 | Graeme Neill
The economics for booksellers "simply don't work" as they struggle with high costs and low margins, the president of the Booksellers Association has claimed.
Jane Streeter was delivering the introduction at the BA Conference at Kings Place in London this morning (16th May).
She said it was "crucial" publishers and booksellers work together as they sell more books when they cooperate. She said: "We have to decide what we want our trade to look like in the future. We have to sit down together and take a long hard look at where we are and then we have to identify the ways in which we can make things better. All this is only relevant, of course, if we all have the same goal."
As well as cost and margin challenges, Streeter said the supply chain needs to adapt as the digital market evolves and added: "Booksellers need to be seen as real partners in the selling of digital product." She said: "Of course individual booksellers and publishers have differing views when discussing commercial relationships. But from the conversations I have been having with many of you in the past year, it is clear that we all agree that new thinking is needed, as the current commercial model simply isn't giving the high street bookshop the support it needs."
Streeter said many book-buyers are using online for their purchases but use the high street to dictate their purchase decisions. Citing new research from BML, Streeter said for every 100 high street book buyers, a further 40 used high street bookshops for browsing rather than buying. Among heavy book buyers, for every 100 buying from the high street, another 73 are browsing.
Streeter said publishers need to understand the "vital" role retailers play in books' discoverability. She said: "There is real danger for our industry if we continue on the path we are on at the moment. We do have the power to create a better outcome but we have to have a vision."
The tone of this year's conference is "deliberately positive", said Streeter, aiming to remind people of the power of the physical book, focussing on creativity as a commercial strength and thinking about how to grow the market "in new ways in a new world".
Publishers and retailers need to work out how e-books "enhance and not replace" the physical book market and "we need to carve out an indispensable role for bricks and mortar bookshops in selling both formats."
She said: "This is a golden age in many ways. There is a tremendous amount of opportunity and energy around. If we use this moment in our history to share the gains more equally then we can invest in a joint future based on cultural as well as commercial growth."
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Finally - an explicit opinion on the perilous position of high street bookselling. A shame it's taken so long for the BA to speak in such unequivocal terms. The place we're at has been forseeable for so long - and it's down to excessive discounting by the big players. I am not against discounting at all, but much more pressure needs to be applied by publishers to halt the ever- increasing downward pressure on the price of big new releases. It's ridiculous that we have to sell Madeleine for £20.00 when WHS offer if for £9.87 and some online retailers for less still. There most certainly is a limit on the premium loyal customers will pay for our service and knowledge and the tipping point is here, with new titles at over 55% off and backlist prices shooting up to £9.00 a go for fairly poorly produced paperback, in Penguin's case. The answer is not better terms for indies but strong disapproval of the excessive discounting of new publications.
If we want bookshops - good ones - something needs to be done fast.
Hi, as a independent Children's Publisher we would love to support all independent bookshops. However, when our team of freelance representatives approach such bookshops with offers of a very attractive base discount of they are met with a lot of objections. Such as.....oh no, a new account has to be opened resulting in more paperwork, we order only from wholesalers and so on.
If Independents want publishers to support them, then they must be more open to change and diversification.....
What a relief to hear such a balanced and positive statement! I would be happy to contribute in the same spirit to any discussions which might be forthcoming following this conference. It cannot be beyond the wit of our industry to ensure a future for physical and virtual books, and actual high street shops which not only sell books but add in a wider way to life in their respective communities. We want the unusual and niche to survive and supermarkets won't sell these books and Amazon won't promote them. The only place they can be handsold is bookshops and we want to sell them! Between us, publishers and booksellers, I am sure we can transform our industry.
What an excellent statement. So true about the cultural and economic potential at the moment.
It is perverse that publishers are more keen to impress and support Amazon than booksellers; the latter wants success for all; the former wants to monopolise an industry. Give the booksellers a bit of support and allow them to compete. Also, those in the industry should perhaps be buying from shops rather than from Amazon if they want to preserve the industry and their own jobs. A more level playing field may not be what Amazon wants but it will almost certainly lead to a robust, diverse and strong book trade.
As an independent Children's publisher (with around 4,000 titles) I would echo Rupert's comments above. If the independent bookshop would deal directly we would be happy to extend far larger discounts and offers.
I'd rather see and support a strong independent bookseller market than have anything to do with supermarkets!
There's very serious competition from the internet (especially Amazon) against many sectors on the high street. Luxury clothing, jewellery etc will often be at least half the price on line compared to the high street. Many booksellers would have a touch of the vapours if they were faced with the minimum order levels demanded for some ladies luxury clothing labels.
Very few bookshops are prepared to stockhold in quantity ; why should a publisher give special terms to an outlet which takes single copies of titles on 'sor' rather than an outer "firm sale". In my experience, publishers are generally only too pleased to offer additional terms to those traders who are prepared to take titles in quantity + firm sale.
If non-chain high street bookshops need to stock bestsellers in order to get customers through the door then they probably have reached their sell by date ; sorry if that offends, but this is no time for the faint hearted.
Clive - I stock selected bestsellers because my customers expect to at least find them even if they choose to purchase elsewhere for less. This is a credibility issue. As for stockholding in quantity in return for better terms, this very much depends on one's location, catchment area, footfall etc. It would not be a good business model to stockpile firm sale titles to sell through in a number of years simply because the term are better. My cash flow would not sustain that. I feel publishers should value bookshops in a number of ways, not simply by offering better terms.
The Bat says: I used to order dumpbin displays...remember those?...48 copies of a top-ten paperback firm-sale. Then the net-book-agreement folded, the internet happened, the credit crunch happened; and the footfall on the high-street fell by 75%, but rents and our astonishingly high non-domestic rates stayed the same or increased.
Why would I firm-sale buy 48 copies of a £7.99 paperback at 50% discount when I can buy 2 for £7 at Asda?
I know "I would say this wouldn't I?" but I really dont see how a non niche indie can compete without the support of Bertrams or Gardners.
Indies can turn stock efficiently by using the wholesalers depth and overnight supply as well as getting respectable margins . Since the start of time publishers have been unsure if wholesalers are a customer or a competitor. They need to be clear that they can withdraw from this competition in this section of the market, reduce their costs accordingly and afford improved offers through the wholsalers to indies.In this way indies can look and be more competitive and conserve vital cash .
See at least two Children's Publishers are willing to help and discuss this with Independent Bookshops, but how can we get the message across when we cannot get access to them.
Perhaps Independent Bookshops need to more active in getting in touch with publishers, especially the smaller one like these two and ask them for assistance.
I too would prefer to see a strong independent bookseller market!
Rupert,
Keep a tally of who reacts to your offer, cos' anyone worth their extra discount salt should. Sadly apathy will rule the day. I would love to be proved wrong!
Role on The Hive! Gardners look to be taking a pro-active stance in this issue and embracing the indies as partners and shop windows for online purchase - strange it wasn't mentioned here. Now the indies see direct commissions for driving sales to an online retailer. Probably similar to the margin they'd make on selling the book too (after deductions)...
I REALLY hope they give Amazon a run for their money and I for one will be cheering from the sidelines.
David, I agree so far no replies so need I say anything more... Some of us publishers try and help but meet the apathy of the independents...
We supply books to schools and libraries - perhaps before you all go praising Gardners and Bertrams you need to realise that these are the very companies who are trying to undermine the trade. Gardners in particular are given extra discount by the publishers for Back to School and then fail to spot that you can get 5% more discount from Gardners (Browns Books for Students) as a school than a bookseller can when they support the Back to School campaign - ie the publisher discount is being used by Gardners as a retailer not as a wholesaler. Hive could well turn out to be another attempt to rule the world - we shall see.
So wake up publishers and look at how you have let wholesalers and online retailers run away with your pricing model. I have just ordered 3 books for a school from Amazon becoause it is much cheaper than the publisher or a wholesaler. Is that how publishers want to distribute their books?
Well done Jane for speaking up - but shouldn't the top brass at the BA have got off the fence before rather than trying to keep everyone on their side?
Very silly pre NBA type comment BOOKSELLER. The wholesalers are not undermining the trade they are stabilising it , for the indies.Publishers are mad to be dealing with small bookshops like you obviously are and they will pass you over to the wholesalers v soon for certain.
NBA
Amazon are now classed as one of them very wholesalers.
often having better discounts than Bertrams and Gardners, and by far better delivery than publishers.
GET IT FROM WHERE YOU CAN AT THE CHEAPEST PRICE, INDIES NEED THAT BOTTOM LINE, RENT AND RATES GET PAID LONG BEFORE THERE IS ANYTHING LEFT FOR WAGES/OWNER ££
The Bat says:Amazon is planning to give 30 days credit to bookshops.
..yet The Book Depository will not supply any dealers and will close your account if you are buying to re-sell.
Some clause in the publishers' contracts perhaps..or maybe not?
The only way for the booksellers to keep their business flourishing is to give online retailing a chance. Most people find it more comfortable ordering their favorite books from online stores, so it's less likely for them to get to a bookstore and make a purchase. Something like Yourlist.com would be more than enough to help a book selling business survive, in fact using both online stores and physical stores would ensure the necessary cash flow for the business to thrive!
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