Return of bookshops and live events will be industry 'landmark'

The reopening of bookshops and potential return of live events in the summer will be a “huge landmark” for the industry, leading figures say, as they weigh up the implications of the government's roadmap out of lockdown.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's plans, announced last week, should see stores reopening from 12th April while all social restrictions could go by 21st June, depending on the continued success of the vaccine rollout and a number of other checks.

The latter date could be crucial as London Book Fair's organisers decide on what format this year's event, pushed back to 29th June, will take. Organisers said last week they were reviewing the government's guidelines and seeking further clarity on what the roadmap for live events and international travel will mean for the fair.

Andy Ventris, LBF director, said: “The health and safety of our exhibitors, visitors, partners and staff continues to remain our number one priority and we will continue to be guided by the expert advice of the public health authorities. We remain committed to making a final decision by the end of March as to the form the London Book Fair will take in 2021 and are in constant dialogue with our customers and partners.”

Many people contacted by The Bookseller said they were especially looking forward to the return of both physical shopping and live events after a year when book launches were pushed online.

Stephen Lotinga, c.e.o. of the Publishers Association, said: “It’s excellent that booksellers will be able to open their doors again in April. They are vital for the health of the books industry and play an important role in communities.

“Welcome too is the news that, if all goes to plan, events will be able to go ahead later in the summer. Celebrating books together again will be a huge landmark for the industry.”

Georgina Moore, director of books and publishing at Midas, said her team “cannot wait” for the return of live events. She said: “One of the hardest parts of lockdown has been feeling cut off from seeing word of mouth in action, not being able to feel the buzz of a campaign in the green rooms and festival tents, and not to be able to work alongside and in person with booksellers and festival programmers to get authors to their readers. Virtual events have been brilliant and have brought new opportunities but they cannot replace the many connections made between authors and authors, authors and readers, authors and journalists, trade with trade and the way these human connections support the hard work editors, publicists, marketers and sales people do to get books noticed.

“I think there is so much value in the hybrids that we are seeing being developed, live events but with the added layer of virtual, keeping those important opportunities to be more diverse and to attract people to writers, who might feel a literary festival is not for them, or who may not be able to travel.”

Ian Chapman, chief executive and publisher of Simon & Schuster UK, said he was feeling optimistic about the future following last week's announcement. He explained: “Our publishing for this year is exciting and we are looking forward immensely to bookshops reopening and I would like to thank every bookseller profoundly for their unwavering support during this past year.”

He added: “As a company, we fully support the future of LBF and value its positive impact on the industry globally. We are committed to future events, especially when attendance by the international contingent can be guaranteed. We are remaining cautiously optimistic on the timelines for this, but fully understand the necessity of continuing to follow government guidelines.”

However, like other publishers, Chapman said it was too early to say what the situation might be with returning to offices. He said: “The Simon & Schuster offices remain open for essential work. While the new roadmap gives us some clarity on when our return to the office is likely to be, the health and wellbeing of our staff continues to be of the utmost importance. Therefore we shall monitor the situation closely, in accordance with government guidelines, and aim to open the office in a phased manner as soon as it is safe to do so.”

Charlie Redmayne, c.e.o. of HarperCollins UK, was similarly cautious, saying: “The government’s roadmap out of lockdown, and the fast pace of the vaccination programme, show there is real light at the end of the tunnel. Schools reopening will be a great relief for families and the news that bookshops will soon be able to open is very welcome - that day cannot come soon enough.

“We will follow government stay at home advice and our offices will remain closed for now other than for those who cannot work from home. As soon as the timetable allows those with essential work to do, or with personal reasons for wanting to go to the office, will be able to do so. It is too early to say when we may see a fuller return to the office, or when events may return, but we will follow developments closely and look forward to an ever-increasing return to normality.”

Nigel Newton, m.d. at Bloomsbury, also sounded a cautionary note, saying: “We look forward to the time when it is safe to return to our offices. Many uncertainties remain including passing the Prime Minister’s four tests but it is joyous that we now believe that the vaccine will give us a way out of this. It is also joyous that booksellers may reopen from April.”

Meanwhile, academic presses face a little more uncertainty following the impact of lockdown on university attendance. Current government guidance allows students who cannot complete their courses without physical access to practical teaching and facilities to return from 8th March. The rest, however, have to wait for a review of when they can return.

Despite this, presses contacted by The Bookseller sounded an upbeat tone and were keen to stress how they had embraced virtual learning.

Mandy Hill, managing director of Academic Publishing at Cambridge University Press, said: "Whenever students and researchers do return to their universities, it's clear that the pandemic has accelerated the move to digital ways of working. We are well-placed to support that, thanks to the excellent platforms that host our digital products and which allow us to provide rich environments for study and research. For example, our HE textbook platform — launched six months early and with a business model that matches the new market realities — has already seen significant take up.

“The pandemic has placed real stress on people and budgets, so we are doing all we can to support students, faculty and librarians with affordable, sustainable business models that aren’t afraid to disrupt industry norms. We are also accelerating the creation of our new online courses as we expect there to be a continued need for remote study, in both academia and in business.”

A spokesperson for Oxford University Press added: “Like many people, we were pleased to hear the roadmap for exiting lockdown. Although it will be heartening to see students and researchers to return to their universities, we will continue to support them however they need us through the provision of digital access to as much of our publishing as possible.”

At Manchester University Press, c.e.o. Simon Ross admitted trading conditions were “difficult” but stressed they were better than forecast, despite university libraries and bookshops being closed.