tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656468.post114708458039878533..comments2024-03-28T13:18:28.238+00:00Comments on Grumpy Old Bookman: Independent bookshops fall prey to cut pricesMichael Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11338398159818400930noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656468.post-1147264792070530932006-05-10T13:39:00.000+01:002006-05-10T13:39:00.000+01:00One great way in which the independents can put ad...One great way in which the independents can put added value on their stock range is working with authors for the titles which we heavily promote. <BR/><BR/>This morning a lady returned to my shop having browsed a number of gardening titles yesterday. The lady had decided that "Making Wildflower Meadows" by Pam Lewis would be an ideal purchase. Is the price as marked (£16.99) ? Yes madam. But Amazon have the book listed at 34% discount ? Yes madam, but all my copies are signed by the author and of course postage must be added. <BR/><BR/>Thankfully when Pam Lewis came over to my shop in November 2005 I had greatly over-ordered both the above book as well as "Sticky Wicket". It snowed that morning, the book signing bombed, but Pam willingly helped out by signing all copies. <BR/><BR/>My customer left with three books, one secondhand, one bin end heavily disounted, and "Making Wildflower Meadows" at full cover. She also left somewhat the wiser about the problems which we indies are facing with the predatory pricing from the internet. <BR/><BR/>The sun is shining, ain't life grand.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656468.post-1147174296547142722006-05-09T12:31:00.000+01:002006-05-09T12:31:00.000+01:00In the cited article one bookseller notes that cus...In the cited article one bookseller notes that customers will pay for today's low low prices in the future, when they'll have fewer book-buying options (due to store closures). Here's a 1999 study on the U.S. marketplace, showing that in the early 90s when we underwent a similar explosion of illegitimate deals between publishers and big corporate retailers -- with concomitant deep deep discounts offered by these big retailers which helped drive thousands of indie bookshops under -- the longer term upshot over the next 5 years was a decrease in the number of books sold (after an initial jump in book sales numbers of the sort Britain is now seeing--said jump causing commentators in the press to go gaga about how the new price competition was good news for all despite whiners from the indie sector).<BR/>http://www.bookweb.org/news/btw/1932.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656468.post-1147164764198428282006-05-09T09:52:00.000+01:002006-05-09T09:52:00.000+01:00Sadly, I found the David Smith article in The Obse...Sadly, I found the David Smith article in The Observer was both shallow and very lacking insight. (Bath, for instance, still has an excellent "indie", Oldfield Park Bookshop, run by Harry Wainwright)<BR/><BR/>The terrestial bookshops accept that "we" are being severely endangered by the predatory pricing from the supermarkets and Amazon. <BR/><BR/>What we, the terrestial bookshops, will never be able to understand is that when a publisher has a quality product such as Wisden 2006 that leverage was presumably given by the publishers for it mugged away on the launch date by Amazon at 60% discount (free delivery). (Currently 40% discount + free delivery). This title is traditionally supplied to the terrestial bookshops on firm sale at standard discount terms. The Amazon price considerably undercut even Wisden's own website. Something stinks. <BR/><BR/>It is time for a little honesty from publishers in this country : we the terrestial bookshops, we "us" Waterstone's, Ottakar's, or even Grumpy Keeble demand a more level playing field in the supply chain.<BR/><BR/>Oh yes, at the Bookseller's Association (ongoing) Bournemouth Conference yesterday the Henley Centre apparently were suggesting that bookshops should be making more of the premium titles (I wonder if anyone in the hall dared mention Wisden 2006)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com