Monday, July 29, 2013

The Fall and Rise of the Bookstore?




My son treated me to a nice meal out on the town yesterday.  He's constantly busy with college and work which cuts down on our visits so I see these rare moments as a chance to reconnect in the midst of my own hectic life.  As we waited for our food to arrive, we caught up on each other's lives. Then the conversation turned to one we almost always have when we get together...books.

My son is a born book lover.  I read to him daily when he was growing up and it has instilled in him a passion for the written word just like his mother's. But the way we indulge in that singular passion takes different paths.  While I love the smell and feel of the hard bound book, my son indulges in a more techy manner of reading via the iPad and yesterday's conversation made me think about the dubious future of brick and mortar bookstores.

Brad Plumer of the WONKBLOG has written a post about the trouble Barnes and Noble is having with falling sales of their Nook and increasing competition from Amazon.  You can read his post here.  

When the Borders bookstore filed for bankruptcy in 2011 and eventually closed it 399 stores, I wondered then what would happen to the traditional bookstore? My son and I spent so much time at our local Borders before it closed they should have called me their silent partner.  Before them, our favorite spot was inside the Waldenbooks at the mall. But the rise of ereaders and digital books took its toll on those stores and now all we are left with is a troubled Barnes & Noble. 

Mr. Plumer believes there are a couple of options available to bookstores to help strengthen their position in the retail industry.  One is to offer a special club membership where members could have first access to literary events and hobnob with authors before talks, book signings, etc. That is certainly something I would be interested in.

The other option is actually being offered in some bookstores right now. Bookstores like Barnes and Noble could offer their clientele the option to purchase print on demand books from an Expresso Book Machine. I had never heard of this before but you can read about it here. This would allow even self-published and ebook writers to connect with people like me who love the smell and feel of a real book.

What do you think?  Would YOU pay for a bookstore membership to get a chance to chat with your favorite author? What about selecting a book title and experiencing the excitement as it rolls off the press before your very eyes.  I'd pay for that.

And my son? Well,  he's on his own...;~)

18 comments:

  1. I don't think I'd pay a membership fee to be able to hear authors speak.

    I'd have to see the quality of the books produced by those machines to decide if I'd make a purchase. I've never seen them. That kind of machine could be like Red Box, though, one on every corner if the price and quality is right.

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    1. Hi Richard! Depending on the cost and if I could afford it, I would pay the membership not so much so I could connect with authors (which would be great!) but more in support of the brick and mortar bookstore. They are an endangered species and I would hate to see them become extinct...;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  2. I'm not so sure if I'd pay a membership to hobnob with authors. Seeing myself as an author, it would feel a bit weird having rubbing shoulders with me only because of some special membership. Then again, I'm still fresh with Similac behind my ears when it comes to being a published author so...that's something for the table.

    I would, however, love the idea of getting my hands on a paperback of nearly any book via a POD machine. That would be great.

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    1. Hi Angela! Like I mentioned to Richard, if the membership pricing was affordable to me I would certainly consider it...more to support the bookstore thank anything, but in my case, if I had a chance to chat with the likes of someone like Mercer Mayer or Jan Bret then it certainly would make my day...;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  3. I would definitely want a REAL ink and paper book, even if I have to get it from a vending machine.

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    1. Hi Janet! I think it would be kinda cool to see one in action...

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  4. I read digital when I can, but love the feel of real books. I know that for my 5-year old granddaughter, it will be a long time--maybe never--before digital could ever replace her love of turning pages for the surprise in the next spread. Picture books might be the last stand for print books.
    However, my wife, with her Nook, has typically preferred hard books. But at the moment, with our local library now participating with Overdrive and digital borrowing, she's sitting in the porch swing reading a novel on the screen.
    As for printing-on-demand kiosks, so many factors would affect the outcome and popularity of such a delivery system.
    And...to hobnob exclusively with other 'members' in a bookstore coffee shop with authors on a periodic basis would be lovely. In several writer's communities developed through internet connectivity, I feel like I know other authors and writers like they were neighbors. Of course that's not accurately true, but the social aspect in even a virtually connected community creates a longing for deeper, meaningful relationships with peers. Can companies like B&N, Books-A-Million, and others take advantage of that? I hope so.

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    1. Hi Sevenacresky! I pretty much agree with much of what you say. I simply can't imagine a world without hard bound books. As for digital, I own a Kindle my son gave me but I have yet to read any of the books loaded on it and that was about 4 years ago...;~0

      I would love to be able to see how one of those Expresso Book Machines actually worked.

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  5. I would pay for both (that doesn't mean I would have the money, but I WOULD pay!)! I love talking with authors! And I would love to see a book print before my eyes!
    Erik

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    1. Hi Erik! I'm with you! Anything to be in the same room with my favorite authors and to be able to ask them questions about their creativity would be the highlight of my day...;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back anytime!

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  6. May bookstores survive and flourish. I'm a bookstore lover--I enjoy browsing. And I enjoy noticing the different typestyles and illustrative styles and the look and feel of books! Sure, I'd pay for a bookstore membership and the opportunity to chat with authors.

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    1. Hi Ellen! I have a HUGE used bookstore called McKays in my city that I practically live in! They have books starting at FIVE CENTS! I love browsing and just running my fingers over the classics and I smile when I see picture books I have grown up with...stories I shared with my own son while he was growing up...

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  7. For a little while now, the library in the next town has one of those machines and I was about to use it, but I saw someone else's book from it and it put me off a bit. It was okay but then I wondered who are you selling them to? Now I'm going to go with Create Space because tehy distribute for you. The crazy cost of postage between Canada and U.S. is a bit of a clincher for me. I am reading so many friends' books right now that I had to start buying e-books or I'd get put on a complete buying ban lol. I don't mind them anymore.

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    1. Hi Catherine! I don't quite understand the reason for high postage between US and Canada...especially since the two countries are connected! It's not like we are trying to put them on a boat and float them cross the pond...;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  8. Hi Donna .. I'm afraid many of them are going the way of all things - so many large groups are undercutting the smaller personal owner - such a pity .. I hope the Libraries can help here too ...

    I've heard of a book store serving a meal, or coffee shop etc ... I'd heard about the Expresso Book Machine ... and if you're in the middle of a big city/central hub - university or similar .. then presumably books will be available - they are in London .. but I don't live there ..

    I prefer to read a book ... but I have a Kindle and an ipad so I'll try those .. not that keen though ..

    Cheers Hilary

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    1. Hi Hilary! I'm sorry your comment got lost in the shuffle. I don't receive comments after so many days between posting and commenting...I guess yours fell through the cracks. My son gave me his Kindle...he lives on his iPad...but I can get away from my beloved books long enough to play with the technology...;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  9. I'm encouraged that book sellers are getting creative about how to distinguish themselves. The newspaper industry was slow to respond to cultural changes and they've really taken a hit. I live 30+ miles from the nearest book store, so I love my iPad and Amazon, though I adore a bookstore. There's just something about opening a new book, isn't there? But pay to schmooze with authors? Probably not.

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    1. Hi Elizabeth! I'm lucky...probably not going to run out of options for my book addiction but I would have to think long and hard before I would spend my hard earned money on something like that...

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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