Comments on: Bookstores matter

By: Michael

Michael — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 18:55:12 +0000

Those still following this thread, Mike Shatzkin posted something related today, talking about why bookstores matter for discovery. http://www.idealog.com/blog/do-ebook-consumers-love-bestsellers-or-does-it-just-look-that-way

By: Michael

Michael — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 18:54:14 +0000

This is a very interesting and compelling vision, and one that I know bookstores are also exploring. As the price of POD machines go down and the quality of the product goes up, this becomes more feasible. Definitely compelling stuff!

By: Karen Engelsen

Karen Engelsen — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 21:27:23 +0000

Yes, bookstores matter. But their format must change. In St. Paul, we have a B&N — probably the largest bookstore in the state. It has a coffeeshop smack in the middle, surrounded by tables. It’s the local gathering spot, hangout, & book events venue. The value proposition is the literary “experience.” This model would be enhanced by changing the book distribution model to only carrying one or two POD review hard-copies in store, thus allowing presentation of *more* titles, then using POD for on-the-spot download and print for purchase, or on-the-spot Nook dowloads. This model would resolve the issue of returns. It offers increased opportunities for more community-oriented activities centered around reading and the literary conversation.

That’s where I see bookstores going, IMHO.

By: Ryan Field

Ryan Field — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 00:40:06 +0000

I read mostly e-books now, and find all the information I need about what books I’m going to buy online. And not from one particular source, and I don’t stick to one particular author or genre. I’m reading “Last Night in Twisted River” right now, before that I was reading a horror by a self-pubbed author…one of those .99 e-books that was nicely written. Before that, I read a non-fiction book about Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Except for the John Irving book, which I’ve been wanting to read for a while, I found the other books online by shopping around to see what looked interesting. And, by checking out reviews I normally wouldn’t have seen in a bookstore.

I love bookstores. I really do. I always wanted to own one. And I hope they figure out a way to do what video stores and record stores couldn’t do. But I also love buying and reading my e-books just as much.

By: Rachel Hansen

Rachel Hansen — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 23:53:45 +0000

I grew up in a small town and we didn’t have a bookstore. We used the library. Though sometimes the library is more of a hunt and peck type of place to find something new, we still found it.

By: Michael Gettel-Gilmartin

Michael Gettel-Gilmartin — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 22:52:41 +0000

Are bookstores a necessary and important part of book discovery?

o yes, o yes, o yes, ad infinitum. Where do I head first when in a new town? The bookstore. The best indies feature local authors I’d never trip across on my own. The chains have gargantuan selections where I lose myself and learn. My tendencies may be Luddite, but I hope the bookstore dodo doesn’t die.

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 13:39:30 +0000

Publishers are definitely spending more advertising money on Goodreads and co-op on Amazon.

I think blogs are the handsellers of today! But they can’t replace the browsing opportunities that bookstores provide.

By: May

May — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 12:36:25 +0000

I completely agree with you on this and wonder if publishers will start doing more co-op type opportunities with reading sights like goodreads or even popular blogs. And speaking of blogs, will they become the hand-sellers of the future?

By: Steve Masover

Steve Masover — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 01:32:53 +0000

One word: serendipity.

Of course bookstores matter. Here’s to reading (and thinking) out of our ruts!

By: Zachary Tringali

Zachary Tringali — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 20:35:13 +0000

Bookstores definitely matter.

Now, I’ve ordered a fair amount of books just based on reviews and word of mouth, and I think it’s a great way to find books. Still, I would be LOST without a bookstore. Online, I don’t wander — I go directly to what I’m looking for, and maaaybe check out the “Also Recommended” section.

There are times when nothing I hear word-of-mouth about or reviews of appeals to me, no matter how much praise it gets. It’s during those times that I go out to the bookstore and browse the shelves, and it’s those days that I find authors I’ve never even heard of, and feel like I’ve found a hidden treasure.

I wouldn’t trade those days for anything.