Core Insights - The publishing industry is experiencing a fundamental shift in the logic behind bestsellers, with the phenomenon of million-copy bestsellers becoming increasingly rare due to changes in reading habits and content dissemination [1] Group 1: Changes in Sales Channels - The sales channels for books have undergone significant changes, with marketing now focusing on influencers and bloggers rather than traditional media [2][3] - The rise of e-commerce platforms has led to aggressive discounting, which has disrupted traditional sales models and reduced profit margins for publishers [3][4] Group 2: Challenges for Physical Bookstores - Independent bookstores are struggling to survive due to the impact of e-commerce discounts, making it difficult for them to compete [6][7] - Despite the challenges, there remains a demand for physical bookstores as places for browsing and discovering new books [7][9] Group 3: Pricing and Profitability Issues - The cost of producing books has increased, leading to higher retail prices, which publishers are reluctant to raise due to potential drops in sales [11][12] - The perception of book prices as high is influenced by the significant discounts offered by e-commerce platforms, which complicates the pricing strategy for publishers [11][12] Group 4: Decline of Million-Copy Bestsellers - The number of million-copy bestsellers has decreased significantly, with recent successful titles not reaching expected sales figures [13][14] - Factors contributing to this decline include a shrinking reading audience and the dominance of viral video content over traditional book marketing [14][15] Group 5: Impact of Digital and Piracy - The popularity of e-books has not translated into significant revenue for publishers, with e-book sales consistently accounting for less than 5% of total income [16] - The resurgence of piracy is a major issue, with counterfeit books being sold at prices that undercut legitimate sales, further harming the publishing ecosystem [16][17]