Book Selling: An industry under fire
Tue, 03/25/2008 - 06:34 — Blake
A Short Fool.com Column takes a look at Borders and Barnes & Noble. Peddling books is a tough business, relying on a relatively small number of best-sellers to grow sales (and competitive forces have forced a lot of margin-killing discounts).
Barnes & Noble hasn't had quite as difficult a time as Borders, although its fourth-quarter net income dipped 9.2% as the competitive climate led to lower margins. However, in contrast to Borders' tidings, Barnes & Noble was able to increase its dividend and said that it will be profitable in the first quarter, even though it's by no means indicating an easy year ahead. It's guiding for annual earnings about flat compared to 2007.
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and bear in mind
They're talking chains/big-boxes in this article. If they're suffering, you know the independent bookstores who don't have the ability to buy in bulk are suffering so much more, that is, those that are still in business.
Inkwood
I think that is probably true. I'm off to Inkwood books in Tampa on my lunch break to pick up something --kill two birds with one stone - entertain me and support you local independent bookstore.
Too bad their right-wing section is so small, but they have a nice travel section. They will also order anything so I tend to use them over the online stores. I prefer people to electrons.
Always been bad
Ahhh the good old days....
There may have never been good old days for the book selling industry. In the book "Reluctant Capitalists: Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption" the author starts by discussing how book selling in America has always been hard. Now there are just different types of hard as the landscape changes.
I recomend that people read the book "In Cold Type: Overcoming the Book Crisis" by Shatzkin that discusses the many inefficiencies in the book publishing, distribution, and selling model. In Cold Type was written in the early 80's but the mistakes that were being made then are still being repeated. Plus if you see how things were set up then, even though there are some changes, you can see how things have evolved or devolved.
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