What Bookstores Want From Traditional Publishers—and How the Bookstore Market Has Changed

Bookstores traditional publishers bookseller

Bookstores are seeing a shift in demographics, with younger people driven by BookTok trends making up a larger portion of their customer base. Books-A-Million has expanded its physical footprint and the range of titles carried, as their customer base has shifted to people in their teens, twenties, thirties, and forties. Romance and fantasy, which started years ago on BookTok, continue to be popular. Young men are also gravitating toward science fiction, fantasy, and LitRPG titles. Authors engaging with readers on social media are driving customers into physical stores. Bookstores sometimes pick up on sales trends before publishers, leading to stock shortages. Better communication lines are needed between publishers and retailers to respond faster to social media trends.

  • Today’s store traffic and curation is often driven by a younger demographic than before
  • Authors actively engaging with readers on social media are helping drive customers into physical stores, and the publisher partnerships around BookTok authors have created a virtuous cycle of events and sales.
  • Bookstores often pick up on sales trends before publishers, which can be frustrating when it leads to stock shortages.
📚 BookAddict’s Take: If you are a publisher, pay close attention to bookstore trends and social media to anticipate demand and avoid stock shortages.

Source: Jane Friedman Blog  | 
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