As independent booksellers continue to decry the acquisition of Ingram Book Co. by Barnes &Noble, many say they will use Ingram only when absolutely necessary.
In New England, some booksellers that are able to order from a variety of suppliers have changed their ordering cascade, moving Ingram from #1 to, say, #4. But the bottom line, said New England Booksellers Association head Rusty Drugan, is to "get the book for customers, no matter how you get it." So if Ingram is the only company that can supply a title, then Ingram will get the order.
The booksellers facing the greatest conflict are those -- such as Hawley-Cooke in Louisville, Ky., and Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington, Ky., and Cincinnati, Ohio -- that rely almost exclusively on Ingram for their book-buying and ordering. "In the 20-plus years we've been in the book business, nothing else comes close to this," said a shocked Graham B. Cooke, owner of Hawley-Cooke. He added, "It's a little early for me to figure out how this will impact Hawley-Cooke, but it will have some impact."
For many independents, the acquisition poses a dilemma not merely because of Ingram's voluminous stock but because the distributor has long occupied a unique space in their hearts. "Ingram has been very good with independents," said Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association executive director Thom Chambliss.
Whether that attitude will change with B&N's acquisition remains a question. Some are skeptical. "The people who do these kind of things for Ingram are still there," Chambliss said. "They're going to try their best to continue doing that for the immediate future. But if I were a stockholder in B&N, I'd want to make sure the B&N profit is higher, and I'd want to wipe out as much of the competition as possible."
Yet even for the staunchly anti-chain independent stores, a modification of ordering habits might have to wait until after the holiday season. "This is the time of year when you have to have stock and you don't have time to research these things," Drugan said.
