The Bookseller.com

2nd December 2008

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Scary high street

23.07.08

"It is quite a scary high street," says Leading Edge's Paul Henderson in a BBC report on how buying groups are helping independent booksellers survive the perils of the street.

Two new schemes have found different ways for independent bookshops to club together to buy their books on better terms, the BBC notes. Leading Edge Books, which is a sort of book club for bookshops, which pay a monthly fee, currently £40, in return they are offered a selection of books at greater discounts than they can negotiate through wholesalers or directly with publishers.

The Independent Booksellers' Group (IBG) has about 125 members, and twice a year they get together and choose a selection of new books that they want. Members do not pay a subscription fee, but the big difference is that they have to take at least 10 copies of each of the books chosen, half of which may be returned if they are not sold.

Supermarkets, the internet, digitisation, and Google maps, are all cited as threats to indies. But the demise of small chain Ottakar's offers hope.

BBC

Retail booksellers Independents Leading Edge