With the loss of bookstore chains such as the much-lamented Borders and with supermarkets cutting space for everything but the fastest moving titles, publishers have been forced to reduce paper sales of some of their series to their bookclub subscribers and online sales.
But...
While online sales and digital work for the dyed-in-the-wool, hard-core fans who know what they like, have authors they auto-buy and have access to a debit or credit card, the sad fact is that the point-of-sale reader, the woman who, passing the shelf during her weekly shop and makes a spontaneous decision to buy a book, no longer has the same wide choice.
She may have always bought from her favourite series in the past, grabbing one with the right colour cover and buzz word title in the few seconds she has to make her choice because she knows it will deliver the romance hit she loves. If that option is no longer open to her she may choose from what is there - or not buy at all. It's a bit like the supermarket reducing your choice of cookies to a few top-selling brands. Their only interest is, after all, the bottom line and they figure that you'll buy something even if it isn't your first choice. Or, of course, you may go somewhere else. If it's cookies, not a problem. If it's books it may mean the local thrift shop where there will be secondhand copies of the books she loves. At least for a while.
Meanwhile the paper copies are only available in limited numbers and you can't buy them secondhand. Even when there are fabulous deals - a lot of my books are on special offer at the moment - they are available only to those with an expensive eReader, computer or phone and access to a debit or credit card. For vast numbers of readers the books will simply have disappeared. They won't know why. They'll merely shrug and stop looking for them. Maybe they'll stop reading romance.
I have no answers, just a sore heart.
12 comments:
You have painted a bleak picture of the future of the print book. It is happening in all genres quicker than oldsters like me are willing to adapt. While I don't do the books in the monthly box anymore (Zebra books were my favorites), I do buy some new print books (only certain favorite, auto-buy authors), but I get most of mine on Paperback Swap. I do have a Kindle Fire and I use it and love it...but not as much as I use and love my print books. IMHO, digital will never take the place of print...at least not in my lifetime. I'm in the winter of my life now, so I am not the target market of the publishing industry. To keep pace, digital is the future...like it or not!
Such a very sad thing to happen. There is nothing like holding a book while you read it. Can me old fashioned, but are drastically losing something we you can't find books to read and buy. What's next? Close the libraries because you can get all you need on the internet?
It is indeed a bleak scenario, Karen.If the books aren't visible they cannot attract new readers. I love my Kindle, too - such a help with failing eyesight - but finding new authors is very much a word of mouth thing these days. I have no answers. :(
There is nothing like that moment when you spot a cover that grabs you and yells "read me", \Kay. Sad to lose that. :(
It truly is a disappointment, to many if not all, and makes me sad... Over the past year or so I have noticed the shrinking shelf space AND how book buyers (for stores) also make decisions about what it is you WILL buy. Not sure if I'd call it book banning, but I think it is close, at least in some areas of the US. Ah well. Glad I collected all those holiday print books and drag 'em with me wherever I move! Most of my 'read' ones go to the local library book sale. But we will keep reading!! Maybe not as many as we used to -- trying to work with a budget -- but we can try.
You can buy British paper copies of some books that are US digital only (Romance is published as Cherish or, from February, True Love in the UK) from The Book Depository - https://www.bookdepository.com/ - post free anywhere in the world, Gale. Great exchange rate at the moment!
That's good to know you can buy those versions through The Book Depository. I have purchased from them in the past and they were shipped right away! (Quicker than Amazon)
denise
It's a sad world we have come to when the things that we love to buy, books being my number one, don't get the shelf life they deserve. Many think I go to buy, say "Only on-line". And if it's books, it only available in digital format. Even though I do have an e-reader, I still love the feel of a book in my hand and can buy from on-line shops such as Harlequin Reader Service and can get these wonderful books delivered right to my door each month.
The Book Depository is great, Denise - I must make more of effort to link to them on my website etc. :)
It's as if we're being forced to buy online, Kathleen, which makes the whole thing a descending spiral. :(
Such a shame. But things might eventually improve for M&B books (?) Last September Lisa Milton, executive publisher of its Harlequin UK publishing division said “It’s my ambition to see it stocked in places where it hasn’t been sold. I’d love Waterstones to be a stockist, and I’d love a few independents.”
But maybe that's just for the books still available in print form. There might not be any plans to get the Romance line back on sale in paperback form in local stores. https://www.thebookseller.com/news/mills-boon-woos-new-readers-644896
M&B have done a sterling job with the relaunch of their series this month, Janet. They are now in Sainsburys - even our quite modest sized one - which is a totally new outlet. I hear you on Waterstones. Women who buy M&B series tend to buy a lot of books - for their children, their grandchildren, cookery and craft books and I think they're missing a trick letting supermarkets take those sales. But I've been saying that for years and no one has listened yet. :(
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