There is an article in today's Herald about the possible closure and loss of 500 jobs at the publishing-related bookshop, Wesley Owen. Both publishers and bookshops really are going through a hard time and it is obvious that a wind of change is going to blow through the dregs of this decade.
As a small publisher myself, there are a few blogs I like to follow to keep my finger on the pulse of publishing.
One is me and my big mouth. In this blog Scott Pack gives an interesting analysis of why celebrity books may be looking slightly tarnished this Christmas.
Another is Two Ravens Press, a small publishing company based right 'oop north' (Loch Broom near Ullapool to be precise). They are passionate about good fiction. This must be the hardest pile of straw to spin into gold in publishing terms. See the interesting blog where they quote Susan Hill's experience of running a small publishing company.
And then there is Snowbooks. I think Rob's blog highlighting Clay Shirky (can that be a real name?)'s essay on how bookshops are going to have to address the problems facing them is fascinating. They are going to have to weave themselves into the community (leisure and business) to create revenue streams that don't just rely on booksales.
And then there is Fidra Books. With 2 bookshops in Edinburgh under their belt, they are a brilliant example of exactly what Clay Shirky is proposing.
Meanwhile, remember there is a sale on in The Cupboard.
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