Covid19 Impact: NewSouth

 

Publishers Weekly includes comments about the Montgomery-based publisher in the current issue:

 

"The closure of libraries and decisions by stores and libraries to move events online has led to a significant sales decline at NewSouth Books, according to publisher Suzanne La Rosa. “Events revenues are a big contributor to our business,” she noted. “We have a revenue shortfall that cannot be corrected until everyone is back to business as normal. Virtual events have failed to be productive for us.”

While NewSouth’s online and e-book sales have shown gains in the year, they haven’t been enough to compensate for declines at stores and libraries, La Rosa said. Asked about the company’s softest category, she replied, “Fiction, fiction, fiction.”

 

     PW does not mention the impact the accident that almost killed Co-owner Randall Williams had on the company. He continues to recover! His wife and NewSouth cofounder could not see him for most of the time he was hospitalized because of Covid.