AustLit

The impending arrival of Amazon in Australia and the lessons that we can learn from the US and UK were hot topics at this year's Australian Bookseller's Association (ABA) conference. Both Shelf-Awareness editor-in-chief John Mutter and Waterstones' MD James Daunt delivered cautiously optimistic reports from their markets, with Mutter reporting that new bookstores were starting to open in the US (with some help from crowdfunding, tapping into their local communities) and Daunt speaking about how Waterstones' efforts to 'smarten up' - both in terms of improved retail spaces and better supported staff -  has led to a turnaround for the UK chain. The overall message was that if booksellers keep doing what they're doing well, if they connect with their local communities and provide an experience that cannot be replicated by Amazon, they will endure. (Editorial)