Abstract
Although many bookstores in Singapore have closed in recent years, those that remain express a certain level of optimism regarding their immediate future. This article surveys a number of the owners of surviving independent book stores to ascertain their key problems as well as what strategies they employ to survive in what appears to be a very difficult environment. Among the major challenges these booksellers face are increasing rents and the ubiquity of online book retailers; while the strategies they deploy are forms of vertical integration, specialization, and cultivating a sense of mission.
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Notes
AsiaOne News. (2011). What caused Borders to close? Retrieved at http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20110827-296507.html.
Harris book store closed its outlet in Great World due to a 100 % increase in rent as reported by AsiaOne. Another outlet’s demise in Orchard Road was also mourned by fans on the foursquare page https://foursquare.com/v/harris-planerds/4bf14f9317f6a5931329232d.
The owners of the following book shops were interviewed for the study: Basheer Graphic Books, Book Boutique, Books Actually, Gohd Books, Select Books, and Wardah Books.
An article in the Straits Times notes that in 2012, for example, thirty-five new books by local authors were displayed at the Singapore Writers Festival, “a fraction of the output from local publishers this year” [8].
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Luyt, B., Heok, A. David and Goliath: Tales of Independent Bookstores in Singapore. Pub Res Q 31, 122–131 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12109-015-9402-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12109-015-9402-y