Resilience, Innovation, and Sustainability for the Enhancement of Bookselling (RISE Bookselling), a nonprofit project from the European and International Booksellers Federation (EIBF), has published a new research paper analyzing “bookshops and book procurement," focusing on Finland, Germany, and Ireland. The paper found that independent bookstores in each of these nations face issues in supplying books to public libraries and schools in their local and regional areas, with contracts typically set at below €215,000.
The report revealed that while local bookshops have historically played a vital role in supplying books to libraries and schools in their communities, fostering relationships and benefiting the local economy and cultural landscape, larger volume orders than those shops can typically fulfill are now being centralized through calls for tenders, favoring big suppliers and marginalizing smaller stores. This trend—which is evident in all three countries, despite variations in fixed book price laws—prioritizes cost savings and administrative efficiency over local connections and added value.
In such countries as Finland and Ireland—which have no fixed book price laws—contracts have often awarded based primarily on price, neglecting other criteria such as sustainability and relevance to local communities, the paper found. Conversely, in such countries as Germany—which do have fixed book price laws—where price competition is restricted, procurement processes lack diversity and innovation, resulting in identical offers and inefficient distribution.
While recent EU procurement legislation has been intended to enhance competition and fairness, it hasn't fully addressed the challenges smaller bookshops face, the paper further found. As a result, national booksellers associations are fighting to get smaller bookshops more involved in procurement processes, arguing that this would be better for local communities—and that not doing involving them in procurement will marginalize smaller bookstores even more.
The report offers several potential action items to address these issues, perhaps the most important of which is to structure book tenders in smaller quantities and sums of money to accommodate smaller businesses and ensure fair competition. In addition, the report suggests that such criteria as economic impact, local expertise, and sustainability be given greater weight when a tender is evaluated. Clear separation between book procurement and that of other services is essential to prevent unfair bundling, the report asserts, and procurement legislation should be regularly updated to maintain fairness, simplicity, and sustainability. Furthermore, the report argues that maintaining open dialogue with local bookselling sectors is vital to understanding their needs and recommendations for improving book procurement processes.
RISE Bookselling is a three-year, EU-cofunded project run by the EIBF. It is aimed at “upscaling, reinforcing, and maximizing the capacity and resilience of the European bookselling sector.”
