Donations won't save independent bookshops, but readers can
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Version 0 of 1. This week, bestselling crime writer James Patterson announced he is making a £250,000 donation to help independent booksellers in the UK and Ireland. This follows a $1m pledge in 2013 to book shops across the pond. Patterson has asked for "innovative" submissions from booksellers to allow him to allocate funds to benefit local communities, with a special focus on introducing reading to children. In a world where online book retailing is forcing bricks and mortar stores out of business, this is a substantial crutch for struggling booksellers – almost 550 of which have gone out of business since 2005 in the UK alone. Those remaining fell below 1,000 in number for the first time this February. However, a crutch is all Patterson is offering. He recognises that giving money is not enough to prevent the inevitable closure of more stores. In his statement, he says companies such as Amazon should aim to be "the saviour of reading" rather than forcing physical stores out of business; that it can be very profitable without pushing a total monopoly. But is it realistic to expect a company like Amazon, which is in direct competition with other digital giants such as Apple and Google, to play nice? That's not the way business works. If there is consumer demand, the company will keep on churning out products and expanding. The recent dispute with Hachette demonstrates Amazon's undeniable industry clout, with both debut and bestselling authors at the publisher experiencing shipping delays and pre-order vetoes on their new releases. The power to change the book retail industry lies in the hands of readers and where we choose to buy our books. Amazon currently takes 41% of all book sales. It is easy to blame the big bad corporation, but who is making these online purchases? It's us, the readers. We choose to save a few pounds – for which Amazon takes a loss, making it up on other products – without thinking much about what else we might be losing. I, for one, don't want to see the high streets of the future without their bookshops, which offer places to browse, community events, and bookish chat. They are places of character and eccentricity, which it would be a terrible shame to lose. When I did an indie bookshop crawl in London last year, visiting 24 bookshops in one day, I was blown away by the uniqueness of each shop and the lovely people who worked there. Through generously offering his own money, Patterson has raised the issue. Other authors have also been lambasting Amazon in the face of the Hachette dispute, risking the online retailer's wrath. But if we don't speak out and do something – both as authors and readers – it will simply be too late. We have already lost too many indie bookshops and libraries. If it's unrealistic to expect Amazon to tone down its plans for world domination, we need to think about what we can do. The next time you buy a book, make a trip to your local indie. You're guaranteed to find more than an algorithm. • During July, Emma Chapman will be visiting as many independent bookshops across the UK as she can in one month to encourage readers to shop local. Follow her journey on Twitter @emmajchapman |