UK Could Run Out of Color Books During Winter Holiday Season - Reports

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The United Kingdom could face book supply problems this Christmas amid paper shortages and shipping delays, The Telegraph reports.

"The further away the printer, the longer the likely delay," James Daunt, the chief executive of Waterstones, the UK’s biggest bookseller, told the newspaper on Saturday.

Daunt explained that glossy color volumes are mainly printed in Europe or the Far East.

"Books generally travel from the Far East by boat, so reprints take a few months and with the current port congestion will take significantly longer than usual," he said, adding that "this means some colour printed books – cookbooks, some gift books – will be most at risk as some of these are printed in the Far East."

According to The Telegraph, rising timber prices and a slump in demand is leading to the closure of paper mills internationally and there could be supply problems this winter holiday season. If certain popular titles, like JK Rowling’s "The Christmas Pig" sell out fast, it could take months for new copies to reach shelves in the UK and people will not be able to buy them before New Year.

Shoppers in the UK are being advised to buy books early, even though standard black and white volumes are unlikely to be affected by the delays.