The Book Shortage by Theresa Gauthier

 It’s a confusing time for readers. 

Booksellers and Booklovers all over the world are bracing for a book shortage. A book shortage! Let’s examine that for a moment. Demand is high. That’s brilliant. That’s the best news ever! Book sales are up  13% from 2020 and 21% from 2019. That’s amazing! The preference is for actual, physical books. This makes me happy. 

The book shortage, however, is the stuff of nightmares, at least for me. For consumers, waiting for a special book or something we’ve been anticipating, the thought that we might not get it is frustrating. We can pre-order a book if we know something is coming out that we want. It’s inconvenient, and, yes, there’s a chance that if a book becomes a surprise bestseller, then there’s a chance we won’t know to pre-order it. 

For writers, it’s a lot worse than that. In the past, if a book is from a new or unknown writer, and the first print run is too small to meet the unexpected demand, they just print more. Now, that’s not so easy. If they run out of the book, and they can’t find a spot on the schedule to reprint, the book could be dropped regardless of how well it sold.

This could damage or even end a new writer’s career. It’s a strike while the iron is hot situation, and if the iron cools down too much, large publishing companies aren’t going to go back to an “old” book to reprint if they have the next new sensation at their fingertips. 

There are steps we, the consumers, the reader’s the booklovers can take to help. First, peruse the “coming soon” pages of your favorite book websites or ask booksellers when you’re browsing in the store if they know of anything that’s coming out soon. Do some research. Find out what looks good, what seems like a book you’d like. 

Second, whatever strikes your fancy, pre-order it. This is free of charge at most bookstores. (Not websites, but bookstores.) Just go in or call your favorite store and tell them what book you want to order. If you want to have it delivered, they’ll take your payment information and mail the book to you when it’s released. There’s no fee for ordering it, and you don’t get charged until the book ships. If you’d rather pick it up, you just tell them send an email to you when they get it in the store. A deluge of pre-orders might mean a larger print run. If not, it could mean the difference between you getting a copy and you not getting a copy. 

If a book does disappear before you can find it, find the publisher’s email, or social media pages, or even mailing address. It may not help, but if enough people express interest in any one author or title, there’s a possibility the author will get a chance at a second book. If the author outlasts the shortage, then that “lost” book could one day be reprinted.

In the meantime, remember to be kind to your booksellers. Those wonderful people who staff our favorite bookshops always take a lot of grief from consumers, especially between Black Friday and early January. Remember that the book shortage isn’t their fault. They want to get the book into your hands. They want people to read books. They want to make suggestions to readers that spread the word about the books they themselves love. 

Keep in mind also that some of this shortage is down to shipping issues. Docks are over crowded with merchandise that isn't getting transported to retailers. There's a shortage of cargo containers. There's little the consumer can do about issues like this except be patient and don't forget about the titles. It may be that the book you're pining for now will be available later.

So, to recap—

1. Do the research so you know what’s coming out 

2. Pre-order whenever possible

3. Demand the publishers don’t abandon the new writers just because they had the misfortune to publish a book during the shortage.

4. Be kind to your local booksellers.

5. Be patient.

If we all do this, the shortage may just seem manageable.