Readers told to expect higher prices as paper costs increase
Shoppers will pay more for books this Christmas as rising paper and printing costs force publishers to raise prices.
Many publishers are taking steps to minimise costs but there are growing concerns about the affordability of books among booksellers and the publishing industry ahead of the festive shopping period.
“The cost of raw materials for publishers like paper and ink, shipping if printing overseas, distribution and energy is going up all the time. Every single link in the supply chain is affected,” said Publishing Scotland CEO, Marion Sinclair.
“Publishers are understandably reluctant to raise the prices when there’s a cost of living crisis because there’s a fear that it will make your books more inaccessible, more expensive, and therefore that will result in fewer sales.”
Rising costs could also affect independent bookshops’ sales.
“The increase in book prices is definitely a concern,” said Rosamund de la Hey, owner of The Mainstreet Trading Company in St Boswells near Melrose in the Borders.
“The price of non-fiction has risen consistently for a while but fiction titles have ratcheted up noticeably this year, with hardbacks rising to £20, even £25. Non-fiction is popular in the gifting market where people are more likely to spend a little more but it’s had a big impact on self-purchase. Customers often say they will wait for a cheaper paperback.”
Worried about a potential loss in sales, de la Hey added: “In the run-up to Christmas, what we might find is that rather than buying two books for a present, people might just buy one. That will have an impact but I hope we’ll be able to weather it.”
Book publishers now face a balancing act between raising prices to cover increasing margins while not compromising on quality or pricing out consumers.
“We always cost our books through a number of printers and book paper in advance to get the very best price but, as with all industries, costs are spiralling, especially the cost of paper,” said Jan Rutherford from independent Scottish publisher, Birlinn.
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