The survival of about a third of nearly France's 4,000 independent bookshops would be threatened by a proposed revision by the European Union that would do away with exemptions to its Late Payments Directive. The Bookseller reported that the EU has proposed that a cap of 30 days be mandated for paying invoices in business-to-business commercial transactions in all sectors.
According to a study commissioned by the French booksellers association (Syndicat de la Librairie Française) from market research firm Xerfi, the regulation would cost French booksellers more than €112 million (about $122 million), with an immediate threat to 1,300 indies.
In a statement, the SLF called this month for the EU to take into account the specific cultural and economic nature of booksellers so they can continue to offer a wide and diversified range of titles, and not just bestsellers, the Bookseller noted. Maintaining long payment periods that correspond to books' life cycle is an "absolute condition," the SLF added. Booksellers currently are exempted from the 60-day payment period for businesses that was introduced in France in 2008, and negotiated with publishers delays of 70 to 80 days.
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World Book Day will be celebrated Thursday, March 7, by bookshops, publishers, libraries, and schools across the U.K. and Ireland to emphasize the point that "children are more likely to enjoy reading when their choices are championed and we make reading fun."
"Our aim for World Book Day 2024 is to bring the fun of reading to more children, to celebrate their choices and encourage everyone to Read Their Way!" said WBD CEO Cassie Chadderton. "Fewer children and their families are enjoying reading, just when the life-changing benefits are needed most. The World Book Day £1/€1.50 authors and illustrators will be out and about at bookshops, libraries and schools across the country encouraging children to read for pleasure and we're excited that a fantastic array of partners and supporters are making it easier than ever to get involved with activities, fundraising or simply choosing a... book for free with our £1/€1.50 tokens."
One WBD tradition, however, has taken cost of living crisis hit in recent years. The Guardian reported that "while in the past many schools asked children to dress up as their favorite book character for the event, in recent years some schools have adopted more flexible policies, asking children to wear pajamas or comfortable clothing instead."
Chadderton noted that the charity has always asked schools to "have a think about their context, have a think about the children that are in their setting, and think about what will work best for them," but the discussion about costumes "has become more vocal this year." The day "is all about trying to make sure that even more children, and particularly those who are experiencing poverty and are hit by the cost of living crisis, appreciate that reading is something that is a pleasure and will have enormous benefits to a child's life chances."
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Applications for the fifth round of the RISE Booksellers Exchange Program have opened, the European & Independent Booksellers Federation's Newsflash reported. The initiative, which takes place under the scope of RISE Bookselling, EIBF's project co-funded by the EU, aims to connect booksellers with colleagues and industry experts around the world, enabling them to share experiences and explore new initiatives within the industry.
Selected participants will be granted a three-day stay in a bookshop abroad, with all the exchanges in the fifth round expected to take place no later than by the end of September 2024. The deadline to apply is March 31. For more information and to apply, click here. --Robert Gray