The most-popular news story of 2016 may come as a bit of a surprise: the increase in bookstore sales in the first six months of 2016. But two others among the five most-popular news stories also dealt with the status of companies from which consumers can buy books, suggesting that the issue of the discoverability of books is more than just publisher jargon.
5. Amazon May Open 400 Bookstores
While discussing the fourth-quarter results of General Growth Properties, a real estate developer, CEO Sandy Mathrani said it was his understanding that Amazon plans to open between 300 and 400 physical bookstores. The comment sparked widespread speculation in the publishing industry about the etailer’s plans. Mathrani quickly recanted his remarks about Amazon, and over the course of 2016 Amazon opened a handful of bookstores.
4. What’s Next for Barnes & Noble
The unexpected dismissal of Barnes & Noble CEO Ron Boire in August shocked publishers, who had no inkling that the head of the country’s largest bricks-and-mortar bookstore chain would be out of a job after a tenure of less than a year. Publishers were angered that B&N will be searching for a third new leader in less than three years. Company founder Len Riggio, who had planned to retire in the fall, returned as interim CEO.
Whites occupied 88% of all jobs in book publishing in 2015, a percentage that has held steady for years. A deep dive into hiring practices across the industry shows that publishers care about diversity, but many haven’t taken effective steps to bring about lasting change.
2. Doubleday to Publish New Dan Brown in 2017
Doubleday announced in the fall that Dan Brown, author of a number of international bestsellers, will publish a new book, Origin, in 2017. The next entry in Brown’s series of thrillers featuring Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, Origin will publish in the U.S. and Canada on Sept. 26, 2017, as a hardcover from Doubleday.
1. Bookstore Sales Up 6.1% in First Half of 2016
For the first half of the year, bookstore sales were 6.1% ahead of the comparable period in 2015. According to estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau, bookstore sales totaled $5.44 billion in the January–June 2016 span, up from $5.13 billion a year ago. Bookstore sales in 2016 rose every month between January and June compared to 2015. Book sales would soften in the last half of 2016.
