In the News--Booksellers Wary of Holiday Sales

Today the NYT ran another very typical publishing article, especially typical of this time of year. E-books flat. Consumer interest in the physical book possibly up? Publishers worried about the "health" of B&N aka publishers scared B&N, their largest account, may go the way of the Dodo bird or worse, Borders. No big blockbuster in the season for blockbusters. Independents up. Readers finicky and unpredictable. Nonfiction winning out over fiction? In other words, publishing like any other industries, is racing toward the end of the year, hoping for the best in terms of sales and trying their very best to understand consumer needs and how to meet them late in the fourth quarter.

An article like this, and this time of year in general, really reminds me of publishing's dirty little secret: publishing is a business. One with bottom lines, sales goals, and people who are holding on, hoping for a little something extra to make it a most merry holiday season.

Tis the season...for numbers. Some will fair better than others--as is generally the case in any business, but oh the speculation. The whys and why nots of what is working and not working is absolutely fascinating. At least I find so. But ultimately, no matter what industry observers decide what is happening in the marketplace and why, articles like this also remind me how pivotal the consumer is in this equation, how much power the consumer, the reader, really, truly has. And this is the time of year, more so than any other, that big publishing is really trying to understand what the consumer wants; this is the time of year big publishing is most aware and attentive. With their purchasing power, the consumer does tell the industry so much: what book media has resonated (or not), if the tried and true brand name authors still have the same allure (are Malcolm Gladwell's sales up or down?), did the bright orange cover really work or was it an overreach? (I'm looking at you Dave Eggers), was there a small, unknown, debut author that managed to break through in the toughest publishing season indicating big publishing is missing the mark on a market need?

This is the time of year publishing self-evaluates. While it may be too late for books slated to be published early in the new year, this is the time of year where publishers best learn the lessons the market (the consumer) has to teach. For consumers who say publishers are out of step and not listening, now's the time. I swear. But also, now's the time to do your part. Don't just buy that much ballyhooed book on Amazon, but find your local independent bookseller and talk to them, stake your claim. Tell us directly what will win your dollars. Break through all the noise and buy (tell us) what you really want. We're listening and the NYT wants to report on it (obviously). I know they wish they'd had your input to fill out this very typical end-of-year report. Because glaringly and fascinatingly missing in this latest publishing article in the NYT is the consumer voice, which is a shame, because like Frasier Crane, we're listening.
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