Despite pandemic, 60 new print magazines launched in 2020 (nypost.com)

Over more than six months of extreme disruption, the nation’s independent bookstores have steadily grown their businesses beyond their four walls. A PW survey of three dozen indies nationwide found most offering some combination of online sales, curbside pickup, home delivery, outdoor browsing, and in-store shopping. The diversity of sales channels reflects a substantial expansion of retail customer service as they navigate evolving market conditions caused by Covid-19 and climate change. More than 80% of bookstores surveyed are now open for some form of limited in-store browsing, with appointments or other measures to ensure that they abide by state capacity guidelines. Of the shops that are not open to in-store browsing, all have online ordering and most are offering curbside pickup and outdoor browsing. That level of customer service reflects an unparalleled modernization of independent bookselling, but the question on the minds of booksellers is whether their efforts will be enough to combat forces beyond their control.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said it is suspending enforcement of the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for large private businesses “pending future developments.” The move comes after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit temporarily halted the rule, saying that that it “grossly exceeds” the authority of the agency that issued it.” "The court ordered that OSHA 'take no steps to implement or enforce' the ETS [Emergency Temporary Standard] 'until further court order.' While OSHA remains confident in its authority to protect workers in emergencies, OSHA has suspended activities related to the implementation and enforcement of the ETS pending future developments in the litigation,” OSHA stated.

With gains across all categories, unit sales of print books rose 16.9% last week over the week ended December 5. Adult nonfiction and juvenile nonfiction led the way with increases of 19.7% and 19.5%, respectively. Barack Obama’s A Promised Land remained the top seller in the week, selling nearly 325,000 copies at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Two newly released titles also contributed to the increase in adult nonfiction sales—Bag Man by Rachel Maddow sold over 46,000 copies and The Last Days of John Lennon by James Patterson sold more than 36,000 copies.