ABSTRACT
Publishers operate through a variety of sales channels, and the choice of channel will depend on the sector in which they operate. The sales success of consumer books, for example, may depend on retail exposure and an important purchase prompt is being visible in the shops. Both Borders and Waterstones were badly affected by the growth in sales through the internet and supermarkets. The original model was for Amazon to source books from the wholesalers, avoiding the need for a large investment in warehousing. By 2017 the company ran 16 of its own distribution centres–enabling it to provide a fast supply of bestselling lines. The largest chain dedicated to books, Waterstones, operates centralized buying, that is book buyers at head office select titles presented to them by the publishers’ sales or key account managers. The UK public library market has been difficult and long gone are the days when library sales supported hardback runs of new titles.
