R.I.P. The Indie Bookshop

On Saturday 6th August 2011 Sweetens of Bolton ceased trading. This was the last of the independent bookshops not just in this town but in the whole area. A bookshop has occupied these medieval premises for as long as I can remember. First as Chapter and Verse, and for the past 30 years as Sweetens. Typical of such shops up and down the country it was a warm, cosy, haven from the hustle and bustle of the High Street, and a veritable treasure trove of books. It is now just another victim of the malaise infecting our town centres. Unrealistic business rates, extorionate car parking charges, the growth of out of town shopping at supermarkets and hyper markets, and specialist charity bookshops have all played their part. In this instance, the impact of internet shopping - and of ebook readers in particular - has been the final nail in the coffin.

I have other reasons for mourning the passing of this little gem. When I started to write and publish my crime novels there were only three places willing to stock them: Borders, WH Smith Travel, and Sweetens. Within nine months Borders had closed. It was not really economic for me to continue to supply WH Smith but I'm grateful that they were willing to accept independent publishers and a then unknown author. But Stella and Al at Sweetens not only welcomed my books but championed them and I shall be forever in their debt for that.

Sadly, although I continued to supply them right up to the end, in my own way very small way, I contributed to their downfall. The lure of Amazon - and Amazon Kindle in particular - was simply too great. For an independent publisher it was a no-brainer. No start up costs, the VAT collected and paid by the seller, choose your own price and royalty rate of 70% or 35%, world wide distribution, and royalties paid just two months in arrears.  No bookshop - or supermarket - can compete with that.  It may be the future, but we have lost something very special, and I doubt that we will ever see the like again.

I can only hope that those few that are left - like Simply Books in Hale Barns - are better placed to survive and are cherished as a part of our heritage. Perhaps the demise of the bookshop, and mass closure of public libraries, will sees a resurgence of book festivals and book fairs. Where else will our children experience the pleasure we took for granted of holding real books in their hands as they browse before they choose?