If you aren’t one of the cognoscenti in the UK Christian publishing industry, you may not have thought much of the announcement last month that IBS-STL is up for sale.
IBS-STL (International Bible Society and Send the Light who merged a few years ago) are not immediately apparent to the average Christian buyer of books. However, in the last ten years at least, there is a fairly high probability that the book you left the shop with originally came to that shop from IBS-STL. They are a major distributor of Christian publishers as well as being a publisher of sorts themselves.
Officially, the problems have been blamed on a failed implementation of SAP (an Accounts software package used by major players). I have it on good authority, however, that IBS-STL were in trouble before that. One publishing company of my acquaintence had them on stop for not paying their bills a fair amount of time before the SAP timescale being suggested in their official releases came into play.
Following hard on the heels of the collapse of the SPCK Bookshop chain, the IBS-STL proposed sell-off (although who knows they think will actually buy it, I have no dea) was no great surprise to anyone who has been paying attention to the way the Christian book trade works in this country.
However, it gets worse. Over the weekend, we have had the sad news that the Wesley Owen chain is in serious trouble with 26 branches entering administration and others sold off.
When you factor in that many Christian bookshops rely on volunteers for staffing (i.e. there are no staff costs to consider), these bookshops seem to be even more broke than you might imagine.
Essentially, this means that the vast majority of all the Christian bookshops in this country are either now closed, for sale or broke (or any combination of all three). It has to be said that there are some notable exceptions – Church House Bookshop is still going strong (although they themselves were sold off a few years ago), the St Andrews Bookshop small chain of shops seems okay and here in the South-East, Norman Nibloe’s empire of local shops seems to be holding their own as well.
However, be under no illusions. This is the end of the Christian book trade in the UK as we know it. I am sure books will continue to be published but the landscape is now changed irrevocably; not least the high street landscape where most of our major towns and cities will have no Christian bookshop presence at all.
There are all sorts of reasons why this has happened. The current poor state of our financial and consumer climate is certainly one factor but the problems in this industry are not 18 months old, they go back way further than that.
I would venture that the collapse of the SPCK chain and the Brewer brothers influence has had a large knock-on effect for other players. Without those shops selling product, I guess life has got harder for distributors like IBS-STL who provided them with books. Inevitably, if STL start to suffer then Wesley Owen start to suffer as well since they are part of the STL family.
However, again I don’t think that the collapse of the SPCK bookshop chain is the full story. It seems to me that one of the big background factors is that the Christian book trade is currently going through something that the rest of the book trade has been facing over the last decade or more. Namely, the influence of the Internet – of Amazon in particular and changes in the book buying habits of the UK public.
I found an article from the Telegraph in 2007 that seems to suggest that the Christian book trade was in rude health. How times change. It’s been like a set of dominoes – once one goes, another follows and I wouldn’t mind betting that we haven’t seen all the dominoes fall that are going to fall. There could be more casualties yet.
As has been the case for the wider book trade, UK Christian publishers and booksellers are going to have to think creatively if they hope to survive. For other entrepeneurial types, given the vacuum that is starting to open up, they may see an opportunity. The moment may be approaching where if they get their pitch right and enter the market at the right time, they could clean up.
If you have a Christian bookshop in your town, pray for it and flipping well use it. Otherwise, you may find you lose it.
8 Comments
Thanks for this, David. Yep, it’s bad. The good news is, there’s a lot of creative thinking going on, both in mainstream and Christian bookselling circles: I’ve compiled a roundup of some here: The Future Shape of Christian Bookselling. What we need, of course, is positive action to back up all the thinking…
It is indeed sad that Wesley Owen is closing but I am interested in your last sentence … considering we are both in Medway and have access to the same shop. Some Christian bookshops, and I suggest ours falls in to this, are more gift shops than book shops. If I want to buy WWJD bracelets, or CD’s, or the lastest new bible I can. If, however, I wish to but a decent theology book written by, say, Archbishop Rowan, NT Wright, or Bruggemann it is not there. Ordering it will take a week or two (sometimes the request is not met with joy!) whereas if I go to Amazon not only will it be delivered the next day but if will be cheaper by 10 – 30% of the price in the shop.
If the shops are going to survive I agree they need to be creative, but also maybe need to become bookshops rather than gift shops selling what we are told the majority want but do not come in to buy. maybe they need to consider adding something else to attract such as a coffee shop, book clubs and so on.
I stopped using our local shop just over a year ago because it was unhelpful and never had what I wanted, nor did it seem that keen to get hold of it. Actually I stopped longer than that – but like you felt I should use it so tried twice a year ago and went away frustrated in the lack of stock and attitude of the staff.
The Telegraph article draws attention to something I’ve noticed often — there’s a painful contrast between the fare on offer in US mainstream bookshops and UK equivalents. If, as seems likely, the game is over for a large number of a small Christian niche bookshops, I hope their customers will stride down to Waterstone’s or wherever and order the titles they want. This may help to mainstream Christian output in the UK and, mst important of all, get titles which could appeal to and help fringe people into the public square.
Thanks all
Phil – positive action indeed is required. Of course the catch is that such positive action often requires some financial investment as well and that seems to be lacking for potential Christian entrepreneurs.
Rob – I have every sympathy. I personally don’t think of Chatham as my local store (I tend to go to Maidstone) but I know what you mean having been into the Chatham store once. If I need something like a commentary, Amazon or one of the other online bookshops is going to win out every time – on how quickly I can get it, how much it costs etc.
Bishop Alan – couldn’t agree more. It was a shock the first time I went Stateside and noticed that all the big Christian books (unfortunately tat like Purpose Driven Life) were to be found alongside the John Grishams and Dan Browns in the airport bookstores.
There are still some of us here, independent souls that have always thought creatively and carry a range of stock of all different types – yes including theological tomes and archbishop books.
I would urge others to think about stepping out and taking up the mantle – however perhaps like me they need to think about alternative city centre/high street venues, such as local indoor market halls and in-shop centres. yes not semingly as salubrious as a plush shop but nevertheless the rent is more affordable, the footfall and accessibility is comparative, indeed for accessibility and openess of outreach the market hall is a much better venue as the barrier of the door is removed and the stock there for all to see and contemplate!
It is true that to survive in these days does need for quick thinking and alternate idea’s, I suggest a return to being bookshops as well, I also suggest not just being a ‘christian’ bookshop alone but carrying general fiction, secondhand and a range of books not always covered in the chains is also a good move.
And online – well ok maybe we can’t compete head on but indies can use the tools already provided by others at relatively small cost – check out http://www.lincolnchristianbookshop.co.uk to see a low cost way of at least being able to offer the service and enabling people to continue to support local bookshops without loss of benefit to themselves.
And please do spread the word around circles you know – some of us really are trying but we really do need the support of others to do it in these trying and changing times. :0)
Oh and please know that I am happy to be contacted by anyone who would like to talk about doing this, it is not an easy step, it is scary, it is really hard work, it is sometimes a little disheartening and may seem unrewarding and thankless, but in the end it is more than worth it.
Go Local to Go Global, local communities supporting local businesses build a better world and support a healthy global economy and network – really!
Bishop Alan – the experience of my customers (I run a Christian bookshop in North London) who have tried to order Christian books from mainstream shops would suggest that it is often a frustrating experience. We are about five minutes’ walk from our local Waterstones and get many referrals from them (as indeed they sometimes get from us), and also from W.H. Smith. I was also once party to a conversation where a lady was trying to order a New King James bible in the book department of our local W.H. Smith – this got so painful to listen to that I eventually intervened and suggested she visit us, five minutes down the road. The W.H. Smith bookseller, fortunately, was relieved rather than upset.
As a former employee of W.O. I am dismayed but not suprised about the collapse of the retail chain. It has been clear for a while that the company had been mismanaged & was in dire financial straits; the problem is that the publishing industry has realised it doesn’t need retail outlets & many christians can order books directly from an author’s website. It must be said that certain allegedly “christian” digital TV channels are filled with adverts for direct sales of books. The future of christian publishing in Britain is internet selling as “Waterstones” & “W.H.Smith” rarely stock orthodox christian books and, in fact, my local bookshop has christmas staff selections with an atheistic slant!
Dave and Rob,
As well as CLC in Chatham, there is of course the Moat House Christian Bookshop and Coffee Shop, Crow Lane.
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[...] What now for Christian books in the UK? Wannabepriest, 20/12/2009 [...]
[...] More info here, Wesley Owen: 26 Branches Enter Administration, Others Sold (Updated), where I’m also compiling a roundup of reports and blog reactions. Dave Walker has also posted on the Church Times blog, Wesley Owen Christian bookshops in administration, and David Green, aka wannabepriest, has posted some interesting reflections here: What now for Christian books in the UK? [...]
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