With just about all reports in, it's clear that 2014 ended strongly for indie bookstores: sales at average indies in December rose 9%, according to the American Booksellers Association, and sales for the year were up 6%. These results jibe with our reports over the past month and a half on indie holiday sales and mark a striking contrast to four or five years ago, when many booksellers were saying "flat is the new up" or "down slightly is the new up."
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| Holiday shoppers at Literati Bookstore, Ann Arbor, Mich. | |
Commenting on ABA statistics, CEO Oren Teicher said, "It's clear that the resurgence in independent bookstores is both continuing and strengthening." At Shelf Awareness, we see proof of this resurgence every day: again and again we write about new independent bookstores that are opening and established indies that are opening branches.
The reasons for indies' resurgence are myriad: "buy local" campaigns; the power of promotions like Indies First and Small Business Saturday; the "return" of printed books, whose popularity appears to be increasing again; a range of sidelines that appeal to book buyers; bricks-and-mortar booksellers' emphasis on what distinguishes them from other book retailers, such as events, community ties and creating a "third place"; a renewed acknowledgement among consumers that bricks-and-mortar stores are one of the best places for discovering new books; more support from publishers, who are daily reminded of the value of their traditional bookstore partners; bad publicity for a certain online retailing behemoth; and last but not least: the enthusiasm, knowledge and skill of booksellers and the support of book lovers--not just with dollars, but with loyalty and enthusiasm and appreciation of all that indies offer.
So congratulations booksellers and book buyers everywhere! It was a wonderful holiday season at most stores--and you're all directly responsible for that. --John Mutter, editor-in-chief