Robin’s Bookstore, started and “believed to be Philadelphia’s oldest independent book seller, is calling it quits at the end of January.” With sales falling “as much as 15 percent in recent months,” owner Larry Robin says business has gone “from bad bearable to bad unbearable.”Inquirer
Bookstores
UK Sales Down Over 4 Percent
Even as holiday sales volume picks up in the UK, as compared to last year sales are consistently down 4 percent or more. According to Nielsen Bookscan figures, total expenditures for the four weeks ending November 15 were down 4.1 percent, while unit sales declined 4.5 percent. For the recent week by itself, total spending dropped 3.9 percent compared to last year.Bookseller
Sharing the Stories of Struggling Bookstores
Owners of Washington, DC-area Vertigo Books are struggling to stay in business and last month they told customers the store was “at risk.” Co-owner Bridget Warren says, “It was a combination of the economy and Internet sales.” Husband Todd Stewart adds, “It’s been a bad year all year, but come September….” The Washington Post looks at their efforts against the backdrop of the many Washington, DC indies that have gone out of business in recent years. It’s also framed against a recent screening at Vertigo of producer-director Alex Beckstead’s movie Paperback Dreams, which follows the fate of Kepler’s and Cody’s […]
Watch Mitchell Kaplan
The owner of Books and Books and co-founder of the Miami International Book Fair Mitchell Kaplan has a nice two-minute interview with Miami New Times as the fair celebrates its 25th anniversary of bringing major authors to Miami.
Consensus: You Are Nervous
The NYT reviews most of the reasons publishers and booksellers are nervous about the state of business this holiday season. The article doesn’t face the downturn in profitable backlist, noting instead that “publishers continue to plan for blockbuster sales of marquee-brand books.” At the same time, they note there are big books–300,000 copies of Wally Lamb’s The Hour I First Believed–and very big books, with 1.25 million copies of “You: Being Beautiful — The Owner’s Manual to Inner and Outer Beauty.”NYT USA Today looked at a similar theme yesterday.
Vroman's Backs Off Expansion Plan
Pasadena’s Vroman’s Bookstore has cancelled plans to purchase a newly-renovated building in Old Town Monrovia for a new store. Vroman’s president Joel Sheldon said in a statement “the more recent economic conditions and variances have caused our board of directors to adopt a more conservative approach regarding expansion at this timePasadena Star