Reading in the district of Ebersberg – Ebersberg

Cancelled. Yet again. For the third time. There will be no book fair in Leipzig in 2022 either. This first major industry get-together of the year is considered to be the decisive impetus for the book market. This is where spring’s new releases are presented, with the focus on encounters between authors and readers. In addition, thanks to a highly active cosplayer scene, the fair attracts precisely the young target group that the book, literature and media scene desires so much. But what does the renewed cancellation mean for the book trade in the Ebersberg district? Are the shock waves felt up to here?

Above all, reporting on events attracts people to bookstores

In the district, there is primarily understanding for the organizer’s measure – taken because several large publishers had declared their non-participation at very short notice. Nevertheless, Diana Mihaljevic, for example, points out that the relevance of this third trade fair waiver goes far beyond the city of Leipzig. “I think it’s a shame because the industry is losing visibility. But that’s what we live on,” says the bookseller, who is currently representing the owner of the bookstore in Kirchseeon, Hedwig Wobken. Due to the short notice, there was not even time to set up a digital program like in 2021. Mihaljevic also regrets this. Because it is precisely the events associated with the book fairs, such as encounters with authors, presentations of titles from the respective host country or award ceremonies, which, through media reporting, ensure that more people find their way into the bookshops in the Ebersberg district. And that couldn’t hurt, as the business with reading material is still a rather mixed thing due to the pandemic.

The joy of reading in itself has not died out, but customer frequency has decreased, says Klaus Bondzio from the Markt Schwabener bookstore. Margot Bartl from AP Buch in Baldham reports something similar: Due to the mask requirement, the length of stay is significantly shorter, people no longer look around for so long, which is at the expense of spontaneous purchases. “They come, pick up the books they have ordered and leave again.” Fortunately, this did not lead to a loss in income; According to Bartl, their sales are stable and at the pre-corona level.

At first glance, this fits with the press release from the Börsenverein at the beginning of January: “Book market 2021 with sales increase”. But the tendency described in the headline refers to the entire industry with all its sales channels – including online trading. The “stationary business”, on the other hand, which includes both owner-managed shops and chain stores of all sizes, “was unable to make up the backlog from the months of shop closures in spring and closed with a drop in sales of 3.1 percent compared to 2020 and 11.5 percent compared to 2020 the pre-Corona year 2019”.

The customers are happy about the offer on site – “you can’t just watch TV”

So why is it that the book trade in the district can apparently hold its ground despite everything? It may be that the local clientele appreciates the local offer even more than before since the crisis. That’s definitely how Björn Hartung, owner of Buch Otter in Ebersberg, sees it: “We pay a lot of attention to regional issues. There are always new customers.” The managing director of the Grafinger book shop, Regina Sotta-Rothmoser, can confirm: She is happy about a loyal regular customer base plus “new, young mothers with prams”. And adds with a laugh: “Wouldn’t be bad if a few more men came. We’ve definitely got three quarters of a female audience.” According to owner Karen Schiöberg-Fey, the Assling bookshop is perhaps even more of a cultural focal point than it used to be. The bookseller keeps hearing: “I’m glad I’m coming out – you can’t just watch TV.” Titles on which popular film adaptations are based, such as “Bridgerton”, sold quite well. Just like parlor games – they have reached new heights.

Open detailed view

Elke Knitter, on the other hand, whose bookshop is in the Poinger shopping center, talks about two different trends. On the one hand there is the readership oriented towards the feuilletons: “They reach for Michel Houellebecq or Colm Tóibín.” Most of the other sales went towards “feel good literature” to compensate for the frustration of not being able to experience anything for two years, according to Knitter. In addition to fiction, travel literature is therefore very popular. For example, the “Eskapaden” active guides with their suggestions for excursions and mini vacations, as well as books about walks in Munich or tips for bike tours and hikes in the immediate vicinity.

In Grafing, where historical novel biographies are a topic, Regina Sotta-Rothmoser is pleased that she had the right instincts in the fall and that she stocked up on the first volume of Lisa Graf’s “Dallmayr” saga. They also want to offer a good overview of children’s books – after all, they are tomorrow’s customers. With “The Barefoot Gang and the Stolen Grandma” by Jörg Steinleitner, she immediately provides a tip for a likeable adventure book about “a group of children who investigate in a particularly nice way”. For the slightly older ones, manga, young-adult literature and fantasy are available. It is easy to see that Björn Hartung’s heart also belongs to this genre, as he begins to rave about the “mysterious and intertwined” novel “Die Stadt ohne Wind” by Éléonore Devillepoix, the second volume of which he is already looking forward to in May. Due to the pandemic, Hartung has not yet been able to realize his plans for children’s and young adult literature, which he outlined after he took over the Otter book, but they are far from forgotten. And certainly not his expertise in this regard.

Expertise forms the basis for trust

In general: Expertise forms the basis for the trust of customers, together with a personal bond that beats every algorithm: “You know what I like.” How good, then, that the two major industry meetings in Leipzig and Frankfurt are not a prerequisite for competent and expert advice. Because the booksellers in the district have long since found other ways and means of always being up to date.

First of all, the frequency with which new titles appear has changed anyway: you can find them not only on the shelves in spring and autumn, but also increasingly during the year. Corresponding announcements reach the bookstores in the form of printed or digital previews, often in a package with reading copies. Not to be forgotten: the visits or telephone consultations by publishers’ representatives, many of whom have known “their” shops and their individual needs for a long time. Margot Bartl, for example, has always been visiting a brokerage exchange in Munich at the end of January “for decades”. This time she completed 13 appointments, but there were certainly twice as many publishers represented. Björn Hartung, on the other hand, mentions the digital fair “Frühlingserwaken”, where the independent book trade can tune in to readings and lectures from around 100 publishers for four days.

Open detailed view

The industry is anything but dusty

Thanks to the new technologies, there are also more online author readings or theme evenings by individual publishers. “Strong women” are the focus, for example, or products for children or young people. In this way, you not only get to know new things, but are also inspired – “to a special shop window, a themed table or a posting on Instagram,” says Diana Mihaljevic. The casualness with which the bookseller talks about the integration of social networks fits with one of the main reasons why she considers the book fairs to be important: “They show that we are anything but dusty, but a fast-paced industry that is constantly evolving .”

It’s a good thing, then, that the local booksellers can take those who are hungry to read by the hand all year round and broaden their horizons. Or as Karen Schiöberg-Fey puts it: “Some literary niche pearls need truffle pigs like us.”