By now just about everyone has heard about the international shipping crisis, and unfortunately the ongoing supply chain issues around the world are also affecting the book publishing industry.
Publishers are experiencing difficulty obtaining raw materials—like paper and ink—to print books. Many print operations have been concentrated overseas, and congested shipping ports across the globe are leaving printed books trapped in limbo. Additionally, publishers, book distributors, and freight and delivery services are also experiencing staffing shortages. All of which have led publishers to delay or adjust publication dates of many new books, with “second runs” of popular titles often being significantly delayed. Contributing to this “perfect storm” is that the ongoing pandemic is also causing people to stay at home and read more – book sales are up 21% from 2019, a classic good news/bad news scenario for readers everywhere!
In short, bookstores and libraries across the country are experiencing significantly longer delivery times to receive the physical books that we’ve ordered for you to read, and we ask you to remain patient as we all eagerly await our books. However, this is also a perfect time to discover a new author – Killingworth Library has almost 17,000 fiction and nonfiction books for adults, plus thousands of books for juveniles through teens. Come explore our stacks and find what you have been missing!
