Noting that as the fall season begins, "bookshops across the country might be starting to rejig their displays in an effort to make room for publishers' switch of focus to hardbacks," the Bookseller reported nearly 14.5 million paperbacks were sold in the U.K. during the 13 weeks up to August 30, a decline of 4.9% compared to the same period in 2024 (15.2 million), according to data from NielsenIQ BookData's Total Consumer Market.
The number is slightly worse than the full TCM, which saw a volume decline of 4.5% over the same period. In value figures, however, £110.9 million (about $151.8 million) worth of paperbacks were sold this summer, an increase of 1.8%, or £1.9 million (about $2.6 million), while the overall TCM fell 1.7%.
When these numbers are compared with the children's book market, which saw volume and value drops of 1.3% and 0.5% respectively in the same weeks, "it is clear that the adult fiction market has proven to be a little more of a mixed (travel) bag," the Bookseller wrote.
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The Museum of Modern Art in New York City has opened a bookstore in Seoul, South Korea, designboom reported, noting that "residents and visitors in the Korean city will find the new space in the Dosan Park area of Gangnam, the fast-growing and now-iconic neighborhood south of the Han River."
MoMA opened the bookshop with Hyundai Card, the credit card company under Seoul's Hyundai Motor Group that has partnered with the museum for nearly 20 years. "Inside, the layout unfolds as a series of distinct zones," designboom wrote. "The main book hall is finished in pale grey with polished concrete floors and floating metal shelves. This way, the colorful covers of MoMA publications become the focal point. The design store in the next room brings a bold shift in atmosphere, where walls and floors rendered in glossy yellow and orange create an immersive glow around the curated objects and apparel."
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BookNet Canada's 5 Questions series interviewed Gladys Vallee-Agricole, owner of Terrier Books in Sooke, B.C. Among the highlights of the q&a:
What is the most pressing issue facing bookselling today?
"Unfortunately, especially in North America, the book industry is still a bit behind compared to other industries regarding sustainability. It's a big focus of Terrier Books, as it is what I call an eco-conscious bookstore. Meaning that we think about the environmental impact of almost everything that we do, as well as the type of books we carry.
"For example, we sell used, new, and remaindered books (this being a direct product of our overproduction problem). For new books specifically, we try to only carry books printed in North America to limit the carbon footprint of the book. Unfortunately, getting printing information on books before ordering can be quite tricky so sometimes we make mistakes and have new books printed overseas. Also, all of our non-book products are made eco-consciously in Canada. These are just a few example of the things we do in the bookstore as part of our environmental values." --Robert Gray