Running while standing still: The book in motion during the pandemic

Abstract

From February 2020, when, because of the pandemic, many of the activities of the publishing production line were suspended, it began to be asked how much and in what ways the book world might suffer confronted by the unprecedented situation in which the release of new publications was blocked and only Amazon seemed able to deliver books to our offices and homes. To respond to diverse questions about the world of publishing and in particular about the book market a consideration of the pandemic response of one of the leaders of Italian publishing was sought: Messaggerie books. Through information available thanks to a concessionary access to their management platform, I undertook a dialogue to understand which models were changed and whether these changes would remain over time. The aim here is to present the results of an analysis of some developments in sale, delivery and return. These considerations open space for further research and a deeper understanding of how booksellers, including Amazon, might reduce returns, how readers can be satisfied and their purchases become an experience that makes them loyal at the point of sale or to a publisher, how the right choice of books can be guaranteed, and how much the use of data and digital technologies should be intensified also in the transport of books, so that the right book arrives in the right place at the right time.