Around 40,000 years ago, humankind inscribed the first symbolic representations of the world on cave walls. In 5,000 BC, the Sumerians developed cuneiform, the first system of writing, and by 2,000 BC Semitic workers in Egypt had developed a written alphabet. The invention of printing in 1,000 AD — albeit in crude and time-consuming methods — was not far behind the discovery of paper in Europe, but it was not until roughly 450 years later that Johannes Gutenberg ignited the publishing industry with the invention of a much more efficient printing press. Prior to the printing press, books were extremely rare and worth a fortune; more importantly, few people even know how to read them.
The printing press had a gigantic effect on European society; lower costs and easier distribution led to vastly increased literacy, the democratization of knowledge and an increase in the value of authorship. Guttenberg’s designs remained largely unchanged for the next 300 years as Europe was spurred on by the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. Of course, in the 19th century the Industrial Revolution kicked things up a notch once again; steam power increased production capability and led to the invention of newspapers and the mass distribution of books.
Changes in the printing industry continued into the early 20th century. Lithographic printing, a method first invented in 1796 utilizing the repulsion of oil and water, was developed and then improved upon by offset printing. At this time, the Canadian publishing industry was mostly still a middleman for British and American books, but by the end of the First World War, a movement began in support of Canadian authors.
By the 1920s, Canadian publishing houses were promoting Canadian authors and gaining revenue. This was a booming era for the novel, with mass distribution and little competition from alternative forms of entertainment. Many of the Canadian publishing houses suffered an understandable setback in the ‘30s — along with everything else — but the Second World War helped to revive the industry. Additionally, after 1945 the Canadian government began to increase their support of Canadian authors and publishers; arts councils on both the federal and provincial levels were formed to help fund the work of local writers and artists.
The thriving international book market peaked in the ‘60s and ‘70s and the Canadian book market prospered at this time as well. Unfortunately, in the 1960s the entertainment industry became increasingly competitive and foreign wholesalers began encroaching on the market. By the end of the 1970s, many publishing houses in Canada were owned by international conglomerates. From this point on, these international publishing houses increasingly dominated the Canadian book market. While many of the major Canadian publishing houses were suffering from the struggle, their failure opened the doors for the formation of smaller regional publishers. Turnstone Press, founded here in Winnipeg in 1967, is a perfect example. These small publishing houses often produced work that satisfied needs outside the mainstream publication like poetry, experimental fiction, and dealt with subjects such as gender studies, philosophy and politics.
In fact, it was the appearance of book megastores that helped to accelerate the promotion of “mainstream books” by placing an emphasis on the marketing and development of bestsellers. An entirely new way of selling books was developing around competitive pricing. We now see wholesale discounts and promotional deals appearing in these chain bookstores, creating competition for customers with which independent bookstores are unable to compete. We are familiar with this situation here in Winnipeg, recalling the recent and sudden closure of the McNally Robinson at Polo Park, as well as its brand new Toronto store in Don Mills.
In McNally Robinson’s case, attempts to lay the blame on the Toronto store have some merit. The expansion was costly and was carried out during an economic recession. The new outdoor mall in Don Mills was experimental and had its own set of problems, including lack of advertising and a location far from the downtown core.
While these factors are certainly plausible, it seems likely that something larger is happening within the publishing industry. The competitive pricing from Chapters (who have also over expanded and faced bankruptcy, before being purchased by rival Indigo) and Wal-Mart (doing just fine) cause enough trouble for these independent bookstores, but the true competition is now coming from online bookstores. Amazon.ca, among others, displays truly competitive pricing and provides an incredibly convenient consumer experience. Purchasing books is now just as easy as “point and click.”
That’s just the beginning. Amazon’s e-book reader, Kindle, has been around for a while and now Apple CEO Steve Jobs is also preparing people for the idea of reading e-books on a tablet with the recent introduction of the iPad. Jobs feels like his new tablet will be “game-changing.” And it could be.
The newfound ability to have all of the novels, newspapers, magazines and textbooks at your fingertips and in a readable format has a lot of advantages. I’d like to emphasize the readable qualifier here; reading on a laptop can be a pain in the ass, reading on a tablet is not. It sits nicely in your lap and its touch screen technology even simulates the ability to turn a page with your finger.
Textbooks alone are a compelling argument for the existence of e-readers. In this area there is a lot of potential that educational institutions (and university presses) should be paying attention to. Affordable multi-media textbooks incorporating sound, video and text could easily be made available to all university students (assuming everyone buys themselves a tablet). Additionally, speculation surrounds the notion that these e-readers are going to “save” the newspaper and magazine industries with their online subscriptions.
In the wake of the Internet revolution its clear that all forms of media are rapidly changing and the book industry won’t be any different. In part, it’s comforting to know that text format media has new directions to head and new opportunities to explore. However, it’s hard to predict if lowered prices (for both publishers and customers) and the new ease in distribution will be positive aspects for the larger players in the publishing industry. The opportunity for self publishing authors to create a market for themselves is there (i.e. the same sort of changes we are witnessing in the music industry). Regardless of how publishing houses react, it seems that retailers, like McNally Robinson and Chapters, not to mention hundreds of smaller independent stores, will be hit the hardest.
Books and newspapers have been handed a lifeline but I must insist we remember what we are giving up — community. The Internet develops its own forms of community, certainly, but it is not a tactile physical experience. Bookstores, especially independent stores like McNally Robinson, often provide more than just books. These stores are gathering places for literary types; they provide cafes to spend an afternoon and an atmosphere of comfort that keeps customers browsing and interacting inside, and this is a welcome alternative to the rush-rush express line feel of most stores these days. Perhaps more importantly, bookstores offered locations for authors to launch books and host other literary events. It was only a few weeks prior to its sudden closure that McNally Robinson hosted its Graveyard Book party, drawing over a thousand fans to its doors to see book superstar Neil Gaiman (Sandman, Coraline, etc).
We can only predict the future and then wait and see what happens, but it seems clear that the book industry is experiencing a new period of revolution. Change, of course, comes with both upsides and downsides. Yes, the development of Gutenberg’s press brought books to the masses, but what began to disappear was the art and craft of constructing a book itself. Similarly, over the course of the next five or ten years, readers will have no choice but to declare what is important to them — cost and convenience or community. McNally Robinson has always considered its loyal customer base to be its strongest asset; is the sudden closure of half its stores foreshadowing the decision the public will make? I assume yes. The cost and ease of online book sales will be detrimental to all book retailers. What I hope is that readers and writers care enough to find a way to retain that sense of community and support.
