Reports this week that Amazon appears to be cutting back on orders from publishers represents concerning news for how the all-important fourth quarter might go.
Catching up with PW's Andrew Albanese
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With Veterans Day gone by, and Thanksgiving now sight, the holiday shopping season looms large for booksellers and publishers, says Andrew Albanese, Publishers Weekly senior writer.
“Amazon has apparently been cutting book orders to publishers over the last several weeks. We initially thought the issue was congestion at its warehouses, but now, we’re not so sure this isn’t the new normal,” he says.
Independent publishers told PW that weekly orders have dropped since late October. One publisher reported that an order placed last week was about 75% lower than an order placed last year at this time.
“While not directly addressing the question of a reduction in book orders, a representative from Amazon said that the company’s teams and systems, ‘are always evaluating what they expect its customers want to buy and place orders to its vendors to ensure that it has enough stock in inventory to meet its customers’ needs.’ Which suggests it’s not related to congestion,” Albanese tells CCC’s Chris Kenneally.
“If this is a persistent issue, and Amazon orders continue to be low, it is possible that some online book sales could move to BN.com and other retailers such as Walmart, which has been investing heavily in its online operations,” he says.
Every Friday, CCC’s “Beyond the Book” speaks with the editors and reporters of “Publishers Weekly” for an early look at the news that publishers, editors, authors, agents and librarians will be talking about when they return to work on Monday.
