As the shortlist for this year’s Man Booker Prize is revealed, e-commerce experts ParcelHero say the book industry is still healthy for both marketplace traders and budding authors.
The shortlist for the MAN Booker prize was announced last week, and will mean thousands of extra sales for the winner. However, the courier price comparison site ParcelHero , specialists in e-commerce fulfilment, say you don’t need to win the Booker to be successful in the book industry. Says ParcelHero’s Head of Publications, David Jinks MILT: ‘It is widely thought that the growth of Amazon is killing the book market; but that is a myth. While the future of the printed word is far from being an open book, there are strong signs that people still like to own physical paper books; and also that the new technologies of ebooks and print-on-demand are encouraging a new generation of authors.’
David explains: ‘Our eBay and other marketplace traders are finding the market for second hand-paperbacks is something of a struggle; but hardcover books, particularly quality items such as Folio Society books and first editions, are actually growing in value.’
David has this assessment of the book market: ‘It’s true that the number of independent book stores has declined by 50%, and a book has less than a 1% chance of being stocked in an average bookstore. But while that’s not great for the High Street, there is no let-up in demand for books bought online. In 2014, 184,000 new and revised titles were released in Britain, and 304,912 in the US.’
Adds David: ‘As well as traditional print, budding authors are, of course, also looking to ebooks and self-publishing, with the option of print-on-demand opening new potential markets. In 2013, of the 184,000 titles sold in the UK, 33% of these titles were digital. And first time author’s e-books no longer have the stigma of ‘vanity publishing’; E.L. James’ 50 Shades of Greystarted life as a humble ebook, but has gone on to sell over 125 million worldwide. Publishing your own kindle novel couldn’t be easier.’ Admits David: ‘I myself published a novel last year, The Dodo Tree , about the adventures of a Public Relations manager, and while it’s not exactly sold 125 million, it was a fun thing to do.’
Concludes David: ‘If you have self-published your own book, or are selling books in quantity, independent booksellers and eBay stores can save up to 70% versus using the Post Office when they book a delivery on our site. We also offer discounted Large and Heavy and international Pallet delivery for orders over 50kg up to 1,000kg. So, if you need to send an entire book collection or a small library, you can with ParcelHero!’
