My inspiration for this post came to me when I visited my local Barnes and Noble this past Sunday. My daughter and I went, not because either of us intended or even wanted to purchase a book, but because we love hanging out in bookstores. We arrived around ten in the morning, shortly after they opened. The parking lot was already filling up as we made our way inside. We parted ways inside the door and then met in the café a short time later, each of us with a stack of magazines and books that caught our interest. Of course, we had to get a drink. Like many B&N, maybe all, the café is actually a Starbucks. I stood in line behind six other customers and there were that many more behind me when I ordered. Every seat in the café was filled when we decided on one book to purchase and went to the checkout. At the checkout, no one was in line. No one was buying books.
Where is our industry going? The book I bought at B&N was the first 'real' book I've purchased in at least two months. All my other purchases have been ebooks. I'm sure many of us started out writing hoping to see our books on the shelves at a bookstore one day. Maybe going on a promotional tour. But more and more, writers have their books come out only as ebooks. And in my personal experience, if you're working with a small press, as an author, you're going to make most of your sales and your money from ebooks.
How long until all books, except from a few select writers, are paperless? How long until bookstores close their doors? Will I ever go to Starbucks again if they aren't located inside a bookstore?
Don't forget to visit more blogs here and share the joys and miseries of being a writer.
20 comments:
Hahaha! Love the Starbucks comment.
Sadly, you are right, no one is buying books in the bookstores, which resulting in the closing of both of the bookstores where I live :( We have to buy our books online or at Target or Wal-mart.
I don't think it will be long at all before that happens. I've only purchased a couple real books since my first iPad three years ago and I made those purchases online.
And since I don't drink coffee, I don't even go to Barnes and Noble for that.
My issue with the bookstores here in the UK is that it's usually much cheaper to get them online from Amazon or somewhere similar. Prices in our bookstores are really high, and I can't afford to buy books that are so expensive.
I think you're right-- ebook formats and their cost effective prices, have taken a bite out of the big box bookstores. I think the days of B&N type stores is limited. I have, however, seen a resurgence of the independent book shop. With a lower stock volume, ability to order, and ability to carry unique small-house published books, I think they might see some growth. Now wouldn't that be a nice change of pace?
I have high hopes for the paperback industry. Hardcovers may fail, but I think paperbacks will continue to limp along. Most of the books I buy are paperbacks. If I start a series in hardcover I'll get all of them in hardcover, but typically the series was finished years ago when I pick up the first in mass-market. I've never encountered such a situation at the nearest Barnes and Noble. There are few people at the cafe and always a line to pay for books. Paperbacks are also great for presents, because while I'm sure you can gift e-books somehow, it's more difficult than gifting paperbacks. I would be really sad if paperbacks failed. I would probably buy all the books I don't have yet in the series I've already started buying physically. How you can have the first two books in a trilogy in hardcover and the last in e-book, I don't know.
I truly believe this is where the industry is headed, just as the world in general is going paperless. I don't necessarily see it as good or bad, it just is. And we have to adapt.
So true. I love book stores but I rarely buy physical books for myself any more - although I buy a fair amount as gifts and a ton for my classroom.
We don't have any cafes in our local bookstores. Don't have Starbucks either :)
I don't think books will ever go completely out of print. As people have pointed out: it is tough to gift an e-book. However, I do see the major book chains going out of business. I see all but the Big Publishers dying an agonizing death. And of the publishers that make it out alive, they will have to change the way they do business. Publishing is going to undergo some harsh and radical changes. I suspect that Amazon is going to come out the Big Winner here.
I never buy normal books anymore, except older books that don't exist in e-book format or visually stunning ones. On the other hand, I'm reading much more since I have my e-reader.
I think paperbacks will be around for a while, but I can't deny that ebooks are far more convenient and cost-effective. As a poor graduate, I don't have much money - or shelf space! - so ebooks are the best option for me. But if there's a book I really want to read, especially if it has a pretty cover, I'll buy the paperback. :)
It does sadden me to think that soon there won't be any more book stores except for a few independent ones that hold on. I love bookstores. And I'm glad our library here in town is doing so well.
It's going to keep changing that's for sure, and modern kids are more likely to read e-books than paper ones. But, and this is a big but, I've also read statistics that show that 50% of book sales are still paper books, and that people are returning to bookstores after pulling away for a while. So...it's possible that it'll be a slower process than what it currently looks like, but, unfortunately, inevitable.
What does that mean for us? Well, we just keep writing. Whatever form our stories present themselves in, they still need to be told. And anyways, I bet you'll be able to order Starbucks online in the future anyways. :)
Kim Lajevardi
(This Writer's Growing)
I still like real books and recently bought a stack of them at the B&N. :)
It's sad; I love hanging out in B&N. But I barely buy any books from them either. My books come primarily from Amazon, which usually comes down to price. I suppose I'll never see my books in major bookstores like B&N. Maybe the best I can hope for, when all the bookstores are gone, is having my books in Target, Walmart, or Costco. I really hope we don't lose all the bookstores.
Yep, here in Australia, books in bookstores are ridiculously expensive. Even the second-hand bookstores are expensive (like, more than the price of a brand new book in US stores). No way in heck I'm buying from a store when I can get it half price (or even MORE) from Book Depository.
Some of my happiest memories are from the BN and Borders. I spent many hours relaxing while combing through the miles of books.
SO SAD, but you're right Susan. The next generation will never have the memories we've had. When Borders closed their doors, I was shocked and angry. Now BN is most likely going to meet the same fate in the not so distant future.
I don't even want to think about it...
i do not like to think of a world where there are no more bookstores---:(
Don't know? It sucks though. I still buy both books and magazines and Barnes. Rarely read eBooks, myself. Though Tim is reading one out loud before we fall asleep. It's neat because we don't have to have the lights on.
But where are we headed? Dunno.
I've mixed feelings about this, because I don't think physical books are the be all and end all - in the UK, ebooks have actually encouraged people to read MORE. That said, I do love bookshops and libraries.
I love book stores too. There's just something about wandering through those stacks, all those worlds waiting to be explored.
But I don't consider ebooks to be less real than a print book. It's sad that people are buying less in stores, but I'm more likely to buy a print book than a Kindle version if the ebook is priced nearly the same. Publishers need to get on board and figure out the best way to get to readers. Because that, ultimately, is the real goal.
Great post, as always, Susan.
Post a Comment