Although there appears to be an overall lack of positivity and optimism in this blog, the unfortunate disruption of the dreaded Coronavirus has now hit the publishing industry, and as such I feel compelled to write about it.

First, I feel it is necessary to say that when dealing with coronavirus I remain true to cynical form. Perhaps as a result of having been brought up in a house of medics my reaction to the initial hysteria was dismissive at best. However, as the worldwide disturbance has grown, questions surrounding the potential danger to humans have been replaced by questions regarding its potential to indefinitely arrest industries across the globe. For publishing initial cancellations of some of the most renowned literary events – Bologna Children’s Book Fair, London Book Fair and various World Book Day events to name but a few. The loss of vital networking, potential sales and marketing opportunities for numerous publishers has been substantial.

Of course, it is not just the publishers who have suffered. In a matter of weeks, many of those ready to publish were left uncertain about the future of their hard work. Indeed, as I write this, swathes of writers, both new and old, are going bust. I read recently in the Independent an article detailing some of the personal stories from authors whose publications, and subsequently livelihoods, have been put on hold indefinitely. Natalya Watson, publishing with Kyle books, told the newspaper that ‘ whilst my book will still be published as planned, my book launch and supporting events have been postponed’, meaning her title is unlikely to reach large groups at any form of event and as such she is likely to have to rely on individual sales – a rather troublesome prospect for smaller authors and publishers. However, Abbie Greaves and Kate Baucherel are examples of two authors who issues come not from publication but distribution – both were able to ‘publish’ their books, yet the lack any promotional activity and closure of bookstores and the cessation of trade routes, they have been left with boxes and boxes of copies sitting around in living rooms, collecting dust. Now almost solely responsible for distribution, these authors have had to adapt, utilising sites like Patreon, Blogspot, Twitter Alongside online retailers like Amazon, in order to account for the issues caused by Coronavirus.

Pondering this, it dawned on me that this disruption, although temporary (we hope!), is going to have a marked effect on what is perhaps the most prominent ‘sticking point’ in publishing – The intersection of Print and Digital. With the traditional supply chain now in pieces, authors now forced to use digital sales channels, market exclusively online and, like the rest of the world right now, essentially do anything and everything online. Authors and publishers alike, no matter how tech-averse, are having to adopt this new reality and begin to accept it as a now fast-tracked inevitability. Magazines like Kerrang! Have ceased printing, staff at the Express and the Mirror have taken sizable pay cuts or been furloughed, and Metro had to cut circulation from around 1.5 million to 400,000 – the effects seem on the surface to be devastating. Yet when I recount various elements of the course and the changes that we have observed, I realise that this is perhaps just what was needed. With authors and publishers alike being forced to change, and quickly, the inevitable has become entirely unavoidable; it is sink or swim. On a personal level, I am worried. I am worried that this change, in rationalizing the industry, may alter it beyond recognition. Isolation has allowed me to rediscover books and fall in love with print once again. Sun and solace have provided the perfect reading environment – one that I hope dearly has given the book a newfound position of importance in the minds of the masses, who must now be tiring of Netflix, surely?

Recently, I must admit there have been glimmers of hope, not just in the form of speculation. Just this week, I stumbled across an article from What’s New in Publishing, in which they reported ‘A sharp rise in readership’, particularly in the struggling magazine publishing sector. Readly, the subscription services reported significant rise in the readership of Mindfulness & Health, Puzzles and DIY categories. Aside from magazines, Mindfulness & Health and Crosswords and Puzzles have both seen a 21% and 28% spike in readership respectively, whilst Gardening titles grew by 13% and DIY and Craft grew by an impressive 66% (WNIP, 2020) . Although these changes are clearly most prominent amongst the titles you would expect people to flock to when having to remain at home, I believe there is a promise here. A huge amount is set to change in the coming months, and I believe for the better - I simply hope that the publishing industry is set to do the same.