Commit to supporting indie bookshops, publishers urged

As booksellers continue to recover from the financial and emotional cost of the pandemic, publishers must commit to supporting bookshops and "reframe the conversation" around recovery, delegates at the Booksellers Association (BA) Conference have heard. 

Speaking at an event chaired by Philip Jones, editor of The Bookseller, on 13th September, BA m.d. Meryl Halls said it was necessary to exercise caution when celebrating how bookshops have "bounced back" since the pandemic. 

She said: "We have to be careful to talk about this recovery in a nuanced way. We don't want publishers to say 'oh, it's fine'.

"We need them to keep paying attention and keep coming back with decent terms on the high street sector, the bricks and mortar sector. Otherwise, without that attention, they will just turn away again, and we can't have that."

Hall appeared on the panel alongside American Booksellers Association (ABA) m.d. Allison Hill (pictured) who dialled in from the US. Hill took up the position on 2nd March 2020 as the pandemic hit. She said the crisis had put American indies "in a vulnerable position right away" and the lockdowns had "exposed some of the cracks" that were already apparent in the indie scene. 

Though many independents in the US are seeing an increase in sales — 60% of ABA members' sales are up against 2019 — Hill said the fourth quarter in the run up to Christmas would be "critical" and "reframing the conversation about a bookshop's value to the [publishing] ecosystem" needed to continue. 

Both Halls and Hill said the pandemic had been a time for publishers to commit to bookshops, but that the same sustained action was still required gong forward. 

"What was critical during the pandemic is still critical — ongoing commitment to putting their money where their mouth is in supporting the bookstores long term, and recognising the value they bring to the ecosystem," Hill said.

Halls urged bookseller delegates at the conference to speak directly to publishers and to let them know how trade is faring. Hills said the biggest problems facing booksellers immediately are "supply chain issues and labour shortages", mirroring a pressing concern for UK booksellers. 

"Sales are up but costs are still up," she said, "the ecosystem is very delicate. We're all in the same boat of figuring out how to move through this." 

Earlier at the conference, Halls had laid out some of the priorities for the BA this year. High on the list was promoting a sustainable supply chain and committing to its equality and inclusion group. Author Richard Osman, a special guest at the conference, also praised booksellers for their resilience during the pandemic.