Friday, February 18, 2011

3 final quotes on bookselling in Australia

"These days, the big discount department stores sell around one-third of the books that are sold in Australia, and because they buy in bulk, they can sell them on to the consumer at prices far lower than any independent bookseller could ever hope to."
ABC News


"I’m not sure whether you’ve been into an A&R store the last couple of years. Jesus, talk about depressing. They became giant dump bins for failed remainder copies imported directly from the US. Shit books by no-name authors, poorly printed on cheap stock."
John Birmingham, author & columnist for the Sydney Morning Herald


"The silliest argument advanced for book industry protection is that it subsidises publishers so they can bring more Australian works into print. Bullshit. No publisher has ever been able to nominate a single work that has been printed on non-commercial grounds. And if there has been a flourishing of Australian literature as this protection has been enforced it has escaped me and most Australian readers."
Bob Carr, former NSW premier and Dymocks (bookstore chain) board member

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