One of the stories I’ve mentioned a couple of times in recent weeks has been the collapse of Baker & Taylor, one of the major players in wholesale and distribution. One of the things I have wondered was what actual difference this might make. Obviously, narrowing the field in such a key area has consequences, but I was interested to note that HarperCollins has attributed a significant amount of its weak financial showing of late to the closure, with monies owed being written off.
ALLi News Editor Dan Holloway
This may not be something directly impacting many indies, though the fact that we are not paid in real time for sales through platforms is always worth remembering—and even very recently caused many indies financial pain when Unbound failed.
Spotify’s Impact on Audiobook Sales
Also of note in the HarperCollins figures is a drop in audiobook sales of 11 percent. This is noteworthy because the drop is attributed in large part to the entry of Spotify into the audiobook market. That raises two points. First, Spotify has favoured a narrative that positions its entry into the market as positive to the market as a whole, and this clearly shows that not all parts are feeling it alike. Second, and more positive for indies, this suggests that readers are possibly less wedded to traditional publishers for their audiobook consumption.
Talking of Spotify, Publishers Weekly notes their expansion into five new markets with audiobook offerings, including the Nordic markets one thinks of as huge audiobook consumers.
New Age Restrictions on Social Media in Australia
And finally, following the introduction of legislation in the UK that restricts access to many websites by age, something similar is happening in Australia. From December 4, access to social media will be restricted to over-16s. This affects all the major social media platforms and will clearly impact the way that teenage readers find their reading recommendations. Reporting from the BBC can be found here.
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