'Recession-proof'
According to this article the publishing industry has always been regarded as 'recession-proof' - but is no longer.
posted by Clare Dudman at 10:33 am
The Literary Blog of Clare Dudman
posted by Clare Dudman at 10:33 am
3 Comments:
Why would it be recession proof? Yes, maybe readers will want to use books for escapism at that sort of time, but they're still a non-essential item, and therefore something people will look to spend less on.
General long term concerns over the state of the industry can't help either.
Recession proof??
For the past fifteen prosperous years, whenever I've asked publishers how business was going, they've always said it's 'difficult'!!
I have heard it said that in a recession, many people turn to books for relatively cheap comfort. Whether or not it's true, we'll find out over the next year....
Stu: I was talking to a Waterstones manager the other day and he said they usually did well in a recession. The reasoning was that books make good cheap presents and provide cheap, long-lasting entertainment ...as well as being a means of escape, as you've said.
But then there's the flip-side of the coin - all the reasons, you've given...
Martin: Yes, exactly what I've found too, although my contact with them has been much less than yours, I'm sure! I used to think they were a bit like the joke about farmers ('always a bad year'), but have recently come to realise they really were finding things tougher.
Will people still turn to books, and what sorts of books? The world has changed, there is so much else to entertain, and some of this, like computer games, just as absorbing, almost as cheap, and maybe more accessible for many, too.
Yes, I think the next year will be an 'interesting' one!
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