Two years ago when Amazon unveiled the kindle 2, (The earlier kindle was unleashed 2 years prior, so the whole e-reading thing isn't really that old) you could hear warrior cries among the publishing industry masses--"Print Books Will Never Die!" "People Will Always Want to Hold a Book Made of Paper in Their Hands!"
No one ever dreamed that our beloved bookstores would be affected in any big way.
Boy, were we wrong.
Check out this article by the Wall Street Journal, Borders on the Brink of Liquidation.
Is it possible that 399 stores employing 11,000 people are positioned to shut down? Disappear forever?
I don't even live in the States and this concerns me. I mean, I may go there sometimes and where will I shop for books?
What can bookstores do to survive? Here in Canada, we have a book chain called Chapters. They sell books and a lot of other non-book stuff.
Fellow Canuck, Austin James recently posed the question on his blog, Should Book Stores Sell More than Just Books? And if so, at what point does the book store just become a department store that has a book section?
No easy answers here.
Which brings me to my confession. I LIKE E-BOOKS. I do. And I don't even own a kindle. Or Nook, or other legitimate e-reader. I'm reading my books on my i-phone.
Why do I like it? I don't mind the small screen, really. To me it's like reading a magazine article. Once you get into the story, you don't even notice you're reading a really long column.
I can buy my books in an instant and (usually) for much cheaper. This is helpful to my budget and to my luggage weight when I travel.
Even if I don't read what I buy, I don't sweat it. It's not a big investment. Cheaper than a Starbucks coffee. (Actually, something feels off about that, but anywho...) And it never goes away unless I delete it so I can always go back to it later. The Shelves Never Get Full.
I know I'm sounding kind of two faced here. I want my cake and eat it too. I want my e-books and the bookstore in my town. I love visiting books, stroking them, reading back copy, admiring covers, and on occasion, plopping a twenty down on the counter to buy one.
Readers aren't the only ones concerned about the shrinking bookstore trend. Agents and Editors are pretty unhappy about it as well, for obvious reasons. Plus they are facing the accompanying exodus by published authors to join the e-publishing revolution. (See Passive Guy's post-in the link- for more on this). They're starting to get cut out of the equation and the subsequent piece of the financial pie. Agents and Editors are busy trying to figure out their changing roles in this new publishing landscape. Check out Laura Paulings post on Agents as Publishers to get more info on the debate.
I don't know the answer to this one. What do you think? Is there a way to have the best of both the e-book and print book worlds?
About Me
- Elle Strauss
- I write Young Adult and Middle Grade fiction. I'm a married mom of four, and live in the beautiful Okanagan Valley, famous for beaches and vineyards. I'm fond of Lindt's sea salt dark chocolate and hiking in good weather. My Young Adult rom/com time-travel CLOCKWISE series and contemporary/otherworldly Middle Grade IT'S A LITTLE HAYWIRE are now available on Amazon.
I didn't know you were in Canada! The last time I shopped in a bookstore (the Opry Mills Barnes and Noble, which was flooded in 2010 and will not return), I gasped at the price I paid for a book. Then I came home and Amazoned it and found I could have gotten it for about half that price online. At that point, my bookstore shopping ended. I think the Internet in general is killing the bookstore...but nothing replaces hanging out in the coffeestore area, reading and drinking coffee or hot chocolate. The problem is, we just don't do that very often. And now you can take your Kindle to Starbucks!
ReplyDeleteI still use the library for most of my reading. When I can easily download books to my Kindle app for free without them expiring 7 days after I check them out, I'll make the switch. Until then I'll keep doing this 'til the libraries shut down!
I miss the small independent bookstores, the ones that the chains drove out of business. I can't help but wonder if that's the answer, if we need smaller, more specific bookstores, with knowledgable and friendly staff, over these giant impersonal chains - their biggest draw was stock and prices, and now both of those are being beaten by places like Amazon. I was quite disappointed the last time I was in Borders at their scanty selection. They were supposed to have everything, and they had practically nothing!
ReplyDeleteAlso, if the smaller bookstores DO come back into popularity, I hope many of them keep the idea of combining with a coffee shop. The feel of a book and the taste of coffee - nothing can beat that combination!
This is such a tough question isn't it? I LOVE my kindle and actually believe that I read much more as a result of its ease of use, but I do miss bookstores. Our Borders closed a long time ago and in fact, other than the one Indie bookstore in our neighborhood, there aren't really any others. Sad.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Elle. Like you I love snook and print. In fact, my budget has gone up because I do both. There are some books I just have to have in. Hard copy. As for book stores survivng...I think they may have to expand into other things? Or find a way to make themselves so unique, amazing that people go there for an experience that comes with it....so hard to say. I love going into bookstores but that is over forty years worth of that, working in them and buying from them. Libraries are looking at similar issues..we are no longer museums for books, we are are and need to continue to make ourselves relevant to patrons..show them why they need us in this ever changing world. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and getting me to work out mine!
ReplyDeleteRest assured. There are still bookstores. For now. There are independent bookstores that have survived several onslaughts of challenges from the mall chain stores, to the free standing chain superstores, to Amazon, to Wal-Mart & grocery stores and now ebooks.
ReplyDeleteIf consumers want them to be there, they will be there. But it takes patronage of any retail store for survival. Get to know an independent bookstore owner near you. They are part of your community, and hire people that live in your town. Their tax revenue supports the city and the state. I'm sure the equivalent is true in Canada.
For more of my perspective, here is a link to my blog where I expound upon the issue further: http://bit.ly/qd3yuF
Teresa
You know, I think things will level out. I think people are excited about eBooks now, and that's GREAT! It means people are reading. But I think the lack of quality regulation on Amazon will eventually annoy some readers enough that they head back to the bookstore.
ReplyDeleteBorders in Leeds closed a couple of years ago, there are still some small second hand bookshops kicking around. You can't beat the smell of old books.
ReplyDeleteYour new blog layout looks great!
ReplyDeleteI'm still on team "print books." I love the feel of it when I turn the pages. Plus, I read on a screen all day, and don't want to read for entertainment that way. Yet. I'm sure I'll enjoy ebooks soon, but that day is not today!
Great post Elle! And thanks for linking to my post. My question is: why does it have to be team e-book or team print? I read both! It depends on the book. If i know I'll love a book then I buy the hard cover. Actually I enjoy paperback the best. And it depends on the price. It's been really fun finding gold with self published books. I download samples and check them out first, just like I would traditionally published books.
ReplyDeleteI can truly see publishers starting to publish only best sellers in print and their midlist as ebooks. Once an author has proven themselves they might get the chance to go to print. I think it's just a matter of time. But that's what exciting about all this - we really don't know for sure what's ahead!
I just don't know... I've been thinking about it a lot and the only thing that I can think to do is to just wait it out and see what happens.
ReplyDelete:-)
Personally I feel it is more than mere bookstores, it is a cultural shift that is taking us all down the rabbit hole. And you are correct, no easy fix for this trip.
ReplyDeleteJules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow
Technology is here to stay, so we must roll with the punches. However, I believe print books are here to stay as well. The thing that scares me more than technology is the fact that young people are not reading. Their future will be grim if they don't read. For me, just keep the small indie bookstores.
ReplyDeleteI love both ebook and paperback. I am going to get a Kindle this year as reading on my PC is not great. I cannot get used to not holding a 'book'.
ReplyDeleteThe publishing world is changing and agents have to move with the changes.
I love bookshops and always visit my favourite one when I visit the UK. I wonder if it will be there in September? I do hope so.
Elousie - I like small independent store, but the only problem with them usually, is the overly small YA section. That is the advantage of a bigger chain store, more titles in stock.
ReplyDeleteNatalie - I just wonder, if by then, that there will be book stores to head back to...
Tony - Actually, I haven't been in a used book store for quite some time. Maybe they will be the wave of the future as the chains close down.
Julie - Once you get into a good story, you really do stop seeing what medium you're reading on--just a matter of time, Julie!
ReplyDeleteJules -True. Culture is changing faster than it even has before, it seems.
JJ - Well, no one thought vinyl records would ever made a comeback, but my son is now collecting them, so yeah, I think we'll always have print books.