Footprint Books to close

Distributor Footprint Books has announced it is closing at the end of October 2020.

‘It is with great sadness that we announce the closure of Footprint Books,’ co-director Kate O’Reilly said in a statement. ‘Due to sudden and serious health issues for my husband and co-director we regret that we have been forced to make the decision to close our doors. We are so very sorry for the inconvenience that this is bound to cause at a very difficult time for everyone.’

O’Reilly told Books+Publishing that she is ‘so sad for everyone’ due to the nature of the ‘chaotic and quick closure’. She confirmed that the closure is not due to Covid-19 but rather, ‘I felt I couldn’t continue on my own in this environment.’ She emphasised, ‘I want booksellers to know how sorry we are—I know everyone is sitting on a lot of stock at the moment and it’s a very chaotic time.’

O’Reilly and Simon Player founded the Sydney-based specialist distributor in 1999. As of February this year Footprint has 17 staff.

‘I’m very proud of our customer service team, some really loyal staff who’ve been with us for a long time,’ O’Reilly said. ‘We’re so fortunate to have such beautiful and supportive staff.’

More information about invoicing, agency changes and returns cut-off dates will be announced later this week.

Category: Local news