Can all hands lift a sunken ship?, Help Zhuozhou Book Industry Part | Books | Zhuozhou

Beijing and Hebei were hit by floods, and the library in Zhuozhou, Hebei was flooded. This incident has touched the hearts of many people. Now that Hebei has entered the post disaster reconstruction stage, there is still a lot of uncertainty about the future survival of Zhuozhou Book Industry.

According to statistics, over a hundred publishing units have built warehouses in Zhuozhou, covering a total area of 400 acres. In 2018, the shipment amount exceeded 10 billion yuan. According to reports, in this flood, China National Library website "4 million books worth over 300 million yuan, turned into nothing overnight", and other publishing houses and brands also suffered heavy losses. Some had no choice but to declare "everything back to zero". In addition to Zhongtu Network, other publishing houses and brands that have received more attention from the media and netizens include Zhanlu Culture, Times Chinese, Unread, Han Tang Sunshine, etc.

Photos taken by employees of Zhongtu Network. They go to the warehouse every morning to "look out" and "explore" the water level

During the flood control and rescue process, the book industry received extra attention. Zhongtu Network is a company that has gained popularity through social networks and mainly focuses on selling leftover books. Its media account content often wins high reposts through publishing long articles and engaging with netizens in a clever manner. As the book company that received the most attention during the Zhuozhou flood, Zhongtu Net's words and actions are also consistent with previous ones, such as not accepting donations, not selling soaked books, "gas bags" as always, and urging netizens to consume rationally

The "Zhongtu Net Fuel Pack" is a special product recently launched by Zhongtu Net. The 99 yuan per "fuel pack" includes 4 books, 1 metal bookmark, and 1 commemorative badge. The books are mainly newly purchased after the disaster, with surviving books as a supplement. Recently, the official website sales of "gas packs" have quickly exceeded 100000 units, with sales exceeding 10 million yuan. However, with the passage of time and the loss of focus effects, the sales growth of "gas packs" will significantly decrease. Compared with the significant losses suffered in this flood, it is difficult to help them overcome the difficulties.

Through this example, we can ponder many questions: why is the ability of relevant book institutions to resist risks so fragile? Taking the path of becoming an internet celebrity can maintain the basic operation of a book institution, but is there a better way to self rescue when facing a survival crisis? Besides book enthusiasts and industry professionals who have always been fond of buying and reading paper books, how much public attention does paper book survival have? Is it sustainable for netizens to actively purchase "fuel packs" from book sales agencies, driven by emotions? Where is the future path for the publication and sales, survival and development of paper books?

A large number of soaked books rescued

The difficulty in the book industry has been a consensus reached in recent years. In the past three years, the epidemic has dealt a heavy blow to China's publishing industry and physical bookstores. One representative figure is that the total retail sales of physical bookstores in February 2020 decreased by 86.36% compared to the same period last year. "Crowdfunding for survival" has become a key word for many physical bookstores to call for help. After entering 2023, the online book retail market continues to decline. According to statistical data in the first half of the year, sales volume decreased by 16.36% year-on-year, and sales volume decreased by 16.24% year-on-year.

Unlike the contagious and infectious anxieties in other industries, the anxiety in the book industry seems to be confined within the circle and industry. After issuing the "cry for survival through crowdfunding", book publishing practitioners cannot find ways to further reduce their figure to increase sales. Therefore, the result of waiting for time becomes the fate of the book publishing industry.

When the Zhuozhou book industry gained attention, some people also raised some issues, such as weak risk prevention awareness of publishing institutions, failure to provide insurance for books in the warehouse in advance, and failure to make more self-protection strategies. This poses a challenge for publishing institutions with meager profits. In fact, when an industry is overwhelmed by the pressure of survival, it has no time to worry about it; Even if the book industry comes up with various self insurance measures, it is still unknown whether the surrounding business formats can respond to the insurance needs proposed by the library. The book industry's warehouses are concentrated in Zhuozhou, and many employees of companies in Beijing have to travel 70-80 kilometers back and forth to work in Zhuozhou. This is already a clear indication of the problem. Choosing Zhuozhou may be a manifestation of the increasing marginalization and fragility of the book industry.

Activities initiated by Taobao

Relying on selling books one by one locally to make money is still a profit model that the book industry takes pride in, and it is also one of the deep-rooted values of the book industry. By connecting with readers through each book and establishing a lasting connection, this ancient and emotionally charged sales philosophy maintains the dignity of book publishing and becomes a tighter chain around the neck. When popular book anchors on live streaming platforms purchase books at extremely low prices, even causing publishing institutions to lose money, the book industry has no bargaining power. Readers flock to live streaming rooms and short video platforms, buying their desired books for a few yuan or more. Behind this is the entire book industry losing blood.

Nowadays, a fan circle active online has formed around social accounts of some publishing institutions. Although there is no organization between them, over time there has been a clear group portrait: a love for book topics, a love for writers and news, a focus on the current status of the paper industry, and a keen interest in buying books. It is precisely this kind of group portrait that creates a one-sided impression of the prosperity of paper books and the recovery of the book industry. Even if 100000 people purchase "fuel packs," this is still only a local hotspot and has not truly gained attention from a larger readership. It can be said that the encounter of Zhuozhou Book Industry will not fundamentally bring any changes or opportunities to the survival of the book industry. The ship of the book industry will still continue to sink at a slow and unstoppable speed.

Undoubtedly, the readers who have been flocking to buy "fuel packs" in recent days are undoubtedly enthusiastic and lovely. Behind their words and actions lies a simple cultural motivation, which is their deep trust in paper books, concern about the traditional path of knowledge inheritance being cut off, and the concept that "books are wealth" and "knowledge is wealth". In essence, such words and actions easily remind people of the story of "this little fish cares". There are too many small fish washed up on the beach by the sea, and although it is not possible to save them all, saving each one counts. Compared to other "small fish", rescuing the book industry is relatively easier.

Rationally speaking, it is rare for such a hand in hand rescue method to change the fate of an industry, but rather for products provided by an industry to become an indispensable necessity for consumers in their daily lives. If books have already left common life scenes such as desks and beds, no amount of assistance and assistance can bring the book industry back to its glory. Book publishing requires more attention from the public at the cultural level, to win back the battle of discourse power competition with sales channels, establish a new order that is more intimate with readers in the old tradition, and constantly change the positioning and status of paper books through their own strength. This is a problem that the book industry needs to systematically consider after the Zhuozhou disaster.