Feeding the dinosaurs: Economic concentration in the retail book industry |
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| Authors: | Jon Bekken |
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| Institution: | (1) Department of Communication and Journalism, Suffolk University, 41 Temple Street, 02114-4280 Boston, Massachusetts |
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| Abstract: | While bookstores play the vital role in book distribution, little attention has been paid to concentration and conglomerate
ownership in the retail book trade. In 1958, one-store book firms accounted for nearly 80 percent of book sales; by 1982 that
figure had fallen to 26 percent even though single-store retailers continue to account for a majority of all bookstore outlets.
Today the chains control at least 54 percent of bookstore sales. Buoyed by discriminatory discounts and publisher-subsidized
advertising campaigns, the chains’ dramatic growth seems likely to continue despite the fact that they are less profitable
than independent booksellers. The chains’ marketing orientation fits well with changes in the broader publishing industry,
as publishers seek to rationalize operations in order to improve the bottom line. As books become just another commodity,
sold through increasingly centralized and monopolized channels, access for alternative and minority voices is being for-closed. |
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