Readers face pre-order delays amid supply chain disruption

Readers eager to get their hands on big autumn titles could be left waiting for weeks after pre-ordering, as the publishing supply chain encounters disruption attributed to Brexit and an ongoing shortage of HGV drivers.

Companies including Penguin Random House have acknowledged an impact on their distribution service, while Amazon is showing extended wait times for some big September books.

Amazon customers attempting to pre-order Michaela Coel’s eagerly anticipated title Misfits: A Personal Manifesto (Ebury) yesterday (6th September) were being told it is expected to be delivered on 13th September, six days after publication.

The hardback edition of Jackie Weaver’s You Do Have the Authority Here (Little, Brown), which publishes on 16th September, could be delivered anytime by Amazon between 21st September and 1st October, according to the site.

Richard Osman's second novel, The Man Who Died Twice (Viking) was among at least 10 big early September titles showing long delays on the site on Friday (3rd September), though by this week pre-order customers were being told they would now receive them on release day.

Yesterday, MOB Kitchen's new cookbook, Comfort MOB (Hodder) which was published on 2nd September, had an estimated delivery window of 14th to 20th September for Prime members.

In an Instagram post on 3rd September, cook and founder of MOB Kitchen Ben Lebus warned: "There is a lot of stock on its way to Amazon, but due to various delivery issues (labour shortages impacted by Covid) some of you may not receive your books on time. It is very likely this will only be a minor delay and our publisher has assured me that everyone is working hard to get the books out as quickly as possible."

Amazon declined to comment on the delays when approached by The Bookseller. However, some publishers have acknowledged there are problems across the supply chain linked to Brexit, Covid-19 and a shortage of HGV drivers across UK industries.

A spokesperson for Penguin Random House said: “The entire UK supply chain is seeing major disruptions as a result of both Brexit and the pandemic, which are being felt across all industries. Our distribution teams are working very closely with all partners to minimise the impact of these issues as best they can and dispatch orders as quickly as possible.”

At HarperCollins, a spokesperson said: "We are working closely with our printers, distribution network and retail partners to ensure maximum availability of HarperCollins titles in the autumn period. Communication will be key as we navigate some of the well documented challenges currently affecting the wider product supply chain."

Publisher Lesley O'Mara of Michael O'Mara said the shortage of HGV drivers is "causing issues throughout the supply chain for industries throughout the country, and publishing is being affected just as much as any other".

O'Mara, whose books are distributed through Hachette UK's Hely Hutchinson Centre, said: “We’re working closely with our distributor HHC to mitigate the problems as much as possible and they have been great at keeping us fully aware and updated.”

Speaking about coping with supply chain problems, a Hachette UK spokesperson said: "With regard to distribution, as publishers take steps to increase stock holding by bringing in stock earlier for Q4, we are also seeing customers ordering earlier. By taking these steps, parties are adding extra time into the supply chain and this is the best way to protect sales and to minimise stress on the supply chain. However, a combination of these factors has resulted in Hachette distribution experiencing peak volumes earlier than usual.  As a result, we are ramping up to peak resourcing levels, including the night shift.

“In terms of HGV driver shortages, we are balancing deliveries across a number of transport providers and as part of our social mobility ‘warehouse to wheels’ programme, working alongside Knights of Old, a number of our distribution team members are in the process of becoming HGV drivers.”          

Nigel Wyman, sales and marketing director at Gardners, said his own company was largely unaffected at the moment but warned of potential disruption in the coming months.

He said: “At this stage we are not seeing any major impacts to our deliveries, however as we get deeper into Q4 there is always the additional strain on the logistical networks, and this coupled with the reported driver shortages could see some challenging times ahead.