Anna Clark on alternative models of publishing:
“When I get a little money, I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes.” So said Desiderius Erasmus, a Dutch priest born less than 20 years after the printing press was invented. This holiday season, publishers might like to see his ilk in bookshops. Traditionally, the book industry depends upon the December gift-giving season to buoy its entire year. Many publishers shape their catalog around the six-week window of intensified shopping that carries particular urgency in the depths of a recession.
But this “make or break” bookselling strategy is one holiday tradition that a handful of innovative publishers are eager to end.
In search of sustainability, some publishers and booksellers are adapting ideas from the food movement.
