Publishers and retailers warned of possible delays Christmas The shortage of truck drivers affects delivery.
Waterstones, the largest commercial street bookseller in the UK, said it had increased its book inventory by a quarter and ordered in advance to try to offset distribution problems, as several publishers admitted that delivery pressure was high.
“Our store will be more full than ever before to make sure we don’t get into logistics problems like last year,” said James Daunt, who also runs Foyles, Daunt Books in the UK and Barnes & Noble in the US.
But he admitted that the longer delivery times for books, especially those printed abroad, may cause problems later this year: “My concern is if we need 50,000 [unforeseen literary hit] It is not there. “
On Amazon, Richard Osman’s new book “The Man Who Died Twice” will expire on September 16, and the book “Do You Really Own” by Jackie Weaver, a celebrity parish council clerk The authority is here! And the latest work of MOB Kitchen, Comfort MOB, could not be delivered on the day of its release in September. The website warned that Osman’s book would not be delivered until more than a week after its release date.
Ben Lebus, the chef and founder of MOB Kitchen, posted on Instagram on September 3, the day after the launch of Comfort MOB, saying: “There is a lot of inventory on the way to Amazon, but due to various delivery issues (labor shortages) (Courtesy of Covid) Some of you may not receive your book on time.” He said the book is available at other retailers.
Publisher Penguin Random House, Hachette UK and HarperCollins have all admitted that the distribution difficulties of the entire industry force companies to stock up in advance.
Nigel Newton, Chief Executive Officer Bloomsbury The company that published the Harry Potter book also pointed out the delay. He said: “The combination of Brexit and the new crown virus-driven driver outflow combined with rising consumer demand, coupled with the same urgent shortage of shipping capacity, means that it is difficult for our crystal ball to say how long the delivery delay will last.” He said. .
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He said the company has been able to minimize problems by managing book demand and other measures, including maintaining flexibility in printing locations.
“Because of these two situations, there has been a major disruption to the entire UK supply chain. Brexit And pandemics felt by all industries,” a spokesperson for Penguin Random House told The Bookseller trade magazine.
Lesley O’Mara of publisher Michael O’Mara stated that it has not yet traced the publication date, but said: “All publishers are working hard to publish books early, just in case. [there are delays] So printers and warehouses are trying to keep up. She said that due to the sharp increase in costs, retail price increases next year are inevitable.
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Amazon declined to comment.
