One independent bookshop’s battle for survival

I have co-owned Bookworm, an independent bookshop in the small market town of Retford, Nottinghamshire, for 21 years, writes Angela Meads.

The collapse of the Net Book Agreement in 1997 – which fixed a fair price on books for all shops – opened the door for online trading. Price fixing in general is considered bad retail practice, but the value of a bookshop in every town cannot be measured in pounds.

Bookworm is valued a great deal by its loyal customers, but we know we have lost many to online shopping on sites like Amazon. To try and adapt, we have diversified while still keeping bookselling at the heart of what we do. We now specialise – in local history and transport for example – and stock a wide range of non-book products such as greetings cards and Games Workshop products.

We also publish our own local history books – many other “survivors” do too – and wnd we have re-opened our second-hand/collectable book section to the delight of our customers. This has strengthened our ability to offer an excellent book-seller’s ordering service.

There are now fewer than 1,000 independent bookshops in the UK: 67 closed last year, leaving just 987 left, according to the Booksellers Association, which has warned that the industry is at crisis point.

Tim Godfray, Booksellers Association Chief Executive, said: “Bookshops are important cultural and community hubs, and make a vital contribution to the health of our high streets and local economies in particular, so it is always disappointing to see them close.

“Everyone should sit up and take notice of this. The book trade, the government and the general public need to realise that if we don’t take action now, the future of our bookshops – and therefore the health of the publishing industry and reading itself – is at risk.”

The fact that there are now fewer bookshops on the high street is having a knock-on effect with some publishers. They’re finding they do not have enough outlets to showcase their new titles, which means peripheral titles are not being published.

Consumers are losing the ability to independently choose their reading material, and instead rely on hype and targeted marketing. Fifty Shades of Gray is a good example of this: its success has not brought more people into the world of books.

James Daunt, who owns the independent Daunt Books chain and runs Waterstones, was spot on when he said: “Nobody gets rich selling books, you do it because you love it.”

Angela Meads is the co-owner of the independent bookshop Bookworm, in Retford, Nottinghamshire