Traditional Bookstores and Future Bookstores

Chapter 4: Bookstores as Retail Businesses (10)

In the Japanese publishing industry, sales of new paper books peaked in 1996, with the combined total for books and magazines reaching 2.7 trillion yen. By 2017, the total had fallen to 1.4 trillion yen, meaning it has been cut roughly in half over these 20 years.

Up until 1996, sales were on a steady upward trajectory, and new-book bookstores were known as a stable business. For property owners at the time, new-book bookstores were considered an ideal business model because they could expect stable demand and, since books could be returned, the risk was low. With the backing of distributors, stores were opened one after another in front of train stations and along roadsides.

No qualifications were required, and since profit margins were almost constant, one only needed to look at sales figures. Products were sent automatically, and customers would naturally come looking for books. There was no particular need to be fussy about interior design, and standard displays were sufficient. Even if customer service was brusque, as long as the location was good and the store was open for reasonable hours, one could target a wide range of people—young and old, men and women—and earn a stable income. Traditional new-book bookstores increased rapidly against that backdrop. However, starting in 1996, sales began a downward trend.

I myself was raised by a traditional bookstore. I have a wish that bookstores like those from back then could remain if possible. But now that I am an adult and working in the book industry, I feel that, unfortunately, the times and the environment have changed significantly. It is no longer possible to continue running a bookstore with that kind of old-fashioned mindset.

We must think about sustainable forms for the bookstores of the future. No matter how much the times change, it should still be possible to 'curate and sell books.' Of course, we must keep in mind the basics of retail as I have described them so far. But at the same time, we need to update bookstores to match the times.

In my view, if you want to make a living from it, the policies to adopt are 'downsizing' and 'multiplication.' Also, it is possible to live as a bookstore without being independent and making a living from it alone. The policies for that are to either 'incorporate it into your main business' or 'separate it from your main business.'

From the next chapter onwards, I will think about the forms of future bookstores one by one, based on those four perspectives.

*Reprinted from 'A Reader for Future Bookstores' (NHK Publishing), pp. 182-184