Publishers and bookshops risk obsolescence if they fail to confront together the challenge posed by the internet, the booksellers trade association has warned. Financial Times
Nationwide standards are required on digital sales processes, e-book formats and digital rights management software, the Booksellers’ Association says in a new report.
'To look for individual solutions is to put much of our collective future at risk,' it concludes.
Digitised sales and marketing processes are crucial if UK booksellers are to compete with Amazon, the online retailer, which is not a BA member.
More than 12% of UK book sales in 2006 were online. The bulk of these were through Amazon, which last month made a play for domination of the electronic book market with the US launch of its Kindle e-book reading device.