Could lockdown herald an exciting new chapter for the book trade? | Books | The Guardian

When the lockdown began on 23 March, the ramifications for the book industry were extremely grave. Waterstones closed all 280 of its branches, its chief executive, James Daunt, having previously insisted the chain was no different to a pharmacy or a supermarket and would therefore stay open (the U-turn came after some staff complained they felt at risk, and had been given no protection or hand sanitiser). Britain's independent book stores also shut their doors (at the end of 2019, there were 890 such shops in the UK and Ireland). Supermarkets, which sell popular books in large quantities, focused their efforts on food and ceased ordering from publishers. Meanwhile, Amazon suddenly and dramatically "de-prioritised" book sales in favour of what it deemed to be essential goods (food, yes, but also, it would seem, hair dye and DIY equipment).