lou's library

As a teenager, I bought most of my books on Amazon. I lived in a small village without a book shop, and my Dad bought almost anything on Amazon anyway, so I often asked him to throw in a book for me. Little did I know I was contributing to the dominance of a company hell-bent on destroying the independent book industry. Luckily, I know much better now, so let’s talk about why, in my opinion, you really ought to buy your books anywhere but from Jeff Bezos.

The first thing to know is that Amazon is able to purchase vast quantities of a book, because it distributes them across the world and its dominance means it can set the prices at which it buys them. In practice, this means that Amazon will pay much less for a book than your local book shop (or your local book chain), because it buys so many copies of it. As a consequence, Amazon is able to sell them for less than other sellers, giving them a competitive edge.

That is, unless you live in Germany, where German books are bound by the Buchpreisbindung (that’s an impressive German word you can use to show off, you’re very welcome), meaning a book must be sold for exactly the same price everywhere. This is meant to prevent sellers like Amazon from dominating the market. The UK had a similar rule until a few years ago, when they got rid of it. But non-German books are not bound by this rule in Germany, so Amazon can still sell English, or French, or Portuguese books for as cheap as they want.

In a world where most people buy everything on Amazon, from household items to clothing, it’s a no-brainer for them to chuck the books they’ve been meaning to read into their virtual shopping cart, too. It’s convenient, quick and cheap. What’s not to love? A lot of independent book shops were really slow to offer purchasing their books online and Amazon took advantage of that. You could argue that Amazon was simply smart and innovative and that what they do is only fair.

But think about it for a second. Amazon is impersonal, and you cannot convince me that Jeff Bezos cares about reading, improving community or providing you with exactly the right book for you. That is what your local book store does, though. It improves community by hosting events, offering an open and safe space for everyone and recommending you books they believe you will love. Amazon cannot provide you with any of that. Where I live, the High Street mostly consists of Fast Fashion stores, Starbucks cafes and more local chains of bakeries than even a German town could ever need. Book shops have become astonishingly rare and it’s heartbreaking to me. Perusing a book store is one of my favourite pastimes. The atmosphere is always welcoming, the selection tends to be so much better than anything I see online and the people working there are helpful and kind. These are the sort of spaces we must support.

Now, I’m aware that in this economy, this is simply not possible for everyone. Everything has become more expensive, including books. Paying up to 16 Euros for a paperback is a lot and can quickly become a luxury. I’m not blaming anyone who cannot afford to buy books elsewhere for buying them on Amazon. But that is why it is even more important that those of us who can afford to do so, buy their books as locally as possible. In most cases, your local book shop will be able to get you any book you want overnight. Usually, they will be happy to send them to you, free of charge (at least that is the case with a lot of book shops in Germany). Not that I mind a little trip to the book shop any day of the year.

I think that Amazon has become such a go to place for literally anything that we no longer stop to think if we can get those items elsewhere. And by no longer doing so, we do a lot of damage to our local economies, especially our book shops. So, next time you fancy treating yourself to a book, why don’t you go on a little walk to your local book shop and see if they have it? You might even discover a new book you’ve never heard of before while you’re there, or strike up a lovely conversation with the lady at the check-out.

As I said, I don’t want anyone to feel bad about buying books on Amazon if they cannot afford buying them elsewhere. As long as we’re all doing our best, that is enough. You can still show your local book shop some love by following them on Instagram, or recommending it to a friend. There’s lots of ways of being supportive that do not involve spending money!

I hope this was even slightly insightful. It felt quite rambly writing it, but given that I’ve had very little sleep at the time of writing this, perhaps that should not come as a surprise. Do let me know where you buy your books, and if you have a lovely book shop near you! ❤