P-book gifting on the decline

[fjtorres]

From the Independent:

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-en...3-9634134.html

The number of books being given as gifts has fallen by nine million in a year, delivering a new financial blow to the publishing industry as UK consumers turn away from hard copies in favour of digital reads.

The trend was revealed in Nielsen Book’s UK Books & Consumers Annual Review for 2013, which identified a four per cent year-on-year decrease in the UK book market between 2012 and 2013 both in terms of volume and value.

Jo Henry, director of the research, said that the decline in giving books as gifts would be of particular concern to publishers.

“In view of the importance of the gift market to the book industry,” she said, more work was needed to examine the causes of “the apparent decrease in the value that consumers are placing on books as gifts”. Similar patterns have been identified in the United States. Gifts accounted for 22 per cent of book sales in 2013, down from 24 per cent in 2012.

The reason, of course, is ebooks.
More at the source.

Considering the seasonality of the book business, a shift of spending from pbooks to gift cards--with their potential to defer purchases--is not a good thing for publishers or bookstores.

[Shane R]

If publishers are surprised by the decline of P in favor of E their senior leadership is not worth the salaries that they're being paid.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Shane R

If publishers are surprised by the decline of P in favor of E their senior leadership is not worth the salaries that they're being paid.

No "if... then..." needed.
A straight declaratory will suffice.

The bad news here is the seasonality aspect.
Holiday sales are peak book selling season because of gifting by non-readers and one reason publishers schedule their "surefire bestsellers" for fall release to build up their buzz for holiday sales. A lot of those books are purchased by non-readers whose choices are driven by buzz, bestseller status, and store placement...all the things publishers do for their "surefire bestsellers" but not for midlisters.

Gifting cards shift book choice to the reader and shift sales from pricey pbooks at bookstores to ebooks, a cheaper format where indie titles are increasingly common. Instead of two hyped $15 bestsellers a $30 gift card might result in ten indie sales. Or three midlist tradpub titles. Either way, it eats away at total bestseller sales and B&M sales and anything that undercuts bestsellers and bookstores is undercutting the primary reason why tradpub authors stick with the BPHs.

So, as the report says: lower holiday pbook sales is a serious matter.
One that few folks around here are surprised to see. It is inevitable.