Photo of Shakespeare & Company by Alexandre Duret-Lutz via a Creative Commons License
As you may be able to tell from the references to rice farming in my bio, I grew up in a really small town: 5,000 people, a handful of restaurants, two grocery stores, a one-screen movie theater, and two stoplights that only operated during school hours (after I moved away they put in one that operates 24 hours – you don’t know the excitement). And it’s not like this was a suburb. The nearest town, seven miles away, had a whopping 700 people. My hometown is the biggest town in a county that’s 3/4 the size of Rhode Island.
And because it was such a small town we didn’t have a bookstore. The closest one was a tiny mall store in a town 30 miles away that was invariably staffed by surly teenagers and very rarely had what young Nathan was looking for. I got by on the books my parents had bought for my older siblings, the armfuls I’d grab when the book fair came to town, and whatever they had at the local library.
Combine this with a generally pro-future attitude and I think you’ll see why my mind continues to be blown that, thanks to the wonders of the Internet, we now have access to pretty much every book you could ever want to read. You don’t even have to talk to a bored teenager to get them.
But don’t get me wrong – I love bookstores!! Love love love. I’m eternally grateful to Bloomsbury Books in Ashland, OR for introducing me to David Eddings, I loved my pilgrimage to Elliott Bay in Seattle, and I always stop by Borderlands in San Francisco whenever I’m looking for science fiction (especially if Ripley the hairless alien cat is in). Bookstores are hugely important, and I don’t want them to go away.
Much as Mike Shatzkin recently expressed in a recent post, I’m a bit torn between my love of e-books and my love of bookstores. Selfishly, I want the best of both worlds. I want the convenience of e-books without inadvertently killing off the places that host author readings, who nurture local talent, serve as community centers, and introduce readers to authors they might not have heard about otherwise.
Opinions vary on the extent to which we can have both worlds. Shatzkin sees the conflict between e-books and bookstores as essentially zero sum, in a comment on Shatzkin’s post Kassia Krozser of Booksquare says it’s not zero sum and they can coexist provided bookstores embrace both print and digital, and independent booksellers Christin Evans and Praveen Madan recently chided the press for treating the demise of bookstores as an inevitability rather than taking a hard look at the fact that, among other things, after 15 years independent booksellers combined have a digital market share of 0.1%.
There are definitely independent stores who have embraced the Internet (Powell’s comes to mind), and if publishers are able to control uniform pricing via the agency model, bookstores may be back to competing on consumer experience rather than pricing. Is this a digital environment in which physical stores could thrive if they embraced the Internet? Or do e-books just further erode the necessity of brick and mortar stores?
I don’t pretend to know for sure. Like any consumer, I want it all. I just hope I can get it. Right now I have my feet (and put my dollars) in both worlds. I wonder if that’s enough.
Rita says
Sadly, the era of the local book store may be coming to an end.
Price-wise, they can't compete. And selection is hard to maintain and still generate profit.
Barnes and Noble used to entice me to their space because their displays reminded me of authors and books I just had to read.
But today, Amazon does such a good job of providing choices, good prices and a plethora of reviews, I really don't require much more. Their selection of used books is compelling and the ease of use of the site remarkable.
I read a lot and often feel compelled to download a Kindle offering or purchase a used book at odd hours. Again, Amazon wins the day.
Margaret Yang says
I'm guessing that in your lifetime, you will have the best of both worlds. (If e-books as they currently exist can be called "best.")
Your kids and grandkids might have something different.
I like the idea of both/and.
Zoë Kirk-Robinson says
As I mentioned on Twitter just now, I honestly believe the local bookshop has a bright future by embracing the fact that the Internet is here to stay.
I'm not just talking about setting up their own sites to sell their wares online, but also by getting themselves a 'download point' hooked up, so customers can get the latest ebooks direct to their readers; plus maybe throwing in iTunes access for people to get audiobooks (and music, if they want it) too.
T. Anne says
I hope we never lose the thrill of the bookstore. Costco and the like are no replacement for aisles after aisles of sweet smelling books of all shapes and sizes. On on the other hand I wish every book possible was available on e-book. I guess I want the best of both worlds too.
Joseph says
I guess that depends on how far down the road you go. The farther down the road, the less likely there are to be brick/mortar bookstores. It's just not a switch that gets flipped. Ebooks are dominant, the end is nigh! No, it'll take some time, but bookstores are cresting the hill and on their way out.
Zoe Winters says
I think it would be interesting if Bookstores turned into giant coffee shops with the big POD book machines, and really good wireless where you could use your ebook reader to download books. It would be cool if it was just this haven of awesome coffee and pastries and cool book lovers, with events and parties, and differently themed areas. People just don't work very hard to make something really really cool.
If it's cool you never have to worry about people never wanting to go there. The problem is everyone trying to be just like everybody else. "Bookstores" are kind of boring and "been there done that." What if they thought outside the box and made something that was "more." A LOT "more?"
Kristan says
Maybe it's naive, but I think we CAN have the best of both worlds.
But I don't think either world will look exactly as it does today. The digital landscape will continue to evolve (as we saw this past week or so) and the physical bookstores will have to do the same. Hopefully in both cases, it will be for the better. 🙂
Josin L. McQuein says
There could be a future in some sort of fusion between the bookstore and the internet cafe. People could use kiosks to access books, browse titles, etc.
Anonymous says
I agree! I need them both! However, I find myself spending more money on E-books given my busy schedule! Do I always read my E-books from start to finish…No! I find myself more driven to complete a book I payed full price for from a bookstore.
Moira Young says
I'm with Zoë. I think that with the power of the Internet, and with Download terminals where the bookstore would get credit for each on-site download it sells (or for each purchase made through their website), there's a lot of opportunity out there for them to survive.
But maybe this is also a matter of publishers re-taking control of their digital distribution, so that any bookstore *could* sell e-books. Unless I'm way off base here. (I'm thinking in terms of the development of a universal, platform-free format for e-books, even if they still have DRM, so that any bookstore could sell to any platform.)
Max says
It doesn't have to be a zero sum game. It's not the stock market. That being said, the physical elements of books are associated with the non perishable value of owning them. Of course, you can lose a book, but a digital file is almost an abstract, too. It can be deleted. And people love to display their books. I suspect things might shape up like the photo industry. Some prefer prints (fine art aficionados), but digital dominates the market now.
Anonymous says
After I got my e-reader, I read a ton of books on it, but now it's gathering dust–I hardly ever use it anymore. Going to the bookstore (or library) is an event for me, something special I look forward to. I love flipping through the new books to find something good to read.
Ordering a book from an online store and reading it on a piece of plastic just ain't the same.
Sadly, my local bookstore is closing next month.
Cynthia Leitich Smith says
As a children's-YA author, it's been my experience that parents take their kids to the bookstore in part because it's something to do. An activity. A fun, occasionally subversively educational activity. And the vast majority of my teen readers pay cash for their own books. For the most part, their parents don't turn them loose with credit cards on the Internet.
Mira says
I like what you, Zoe and Josin said, Nathan. Bookstores could become more of a gathering place to discuss books, download them and eat pastries.
That's really what Barnes and Noble did that was so brilliant – they added coffee and big comfy chairs.
People still want a gathering place. Starbucks is like that, too.
In addition, I believe that readership will significantly increase with the ease of access provided by e-books. And if you add digital content and games to books, that could get interesting too.
I loved your picture, Nathan.
Anonymous says
I think they can co-exist so long as the e-book is not overpriced.
It's all what the consumer wants and what they are willing to pay for it.
In the best of all worlds, the e-readers (stand alones anyway) would be free with a multiple book purchase and you could buy the book and "add-on" the e-version for a dollar or so more.
The environment of the bookstore is just too fertile a ground to lose, in my opinion. If it gets beat down, like grass under cement, it will rise back up.
And ebooks, if priced right, are way convenient. The ultimate model is still being "thunk up," though.
I continue to think that books should come out in waves from highest/priciest/newest-release form and tier down, but keep reaching for that audience, just like movies do. I mean sometimes we are flush enough or hungry enough to be there for the first-run thrill ride. Other times,our budget makes us wait–or the appeal is okay, but not THAT great to pay first run status–and its the dollar movies.
Margaret says
I believe it was Kepler's in Palo Alto, CA, but I was recently in a book store where you could buy eBooks just like normal books. The "books" were cardboard replicas of the covers in a browsing rack much like paperbacks often are. I didn't buy one, so I don't know the delivery mechanism, etc., but it sees a good integration of the new (eBooks) and the old (browsing and handselling).
Ryan says
I'm probably weird when it comes to this, but let me just say that I don't like ebooks. Mainly because I don't like to look at the computer screens for long periods of time, and can you imagine how hard it would be to curl up in a tiny ball with a computer in hand (if you aren't tech savy enough to have one of the ereaders…I am not).
Besides that small fact I've not had a very good experience with the ebooks that I have come into contact with. Many of these have not been put together very well, looking at them for number of errors and such in the book. And, I will admit that most of the ebooks I've had contact with are of the small independent press variety, and probably not of the same quality as the larger publishers ebooks.
To finish with my opinion, I feel that bookstores will never be removed completely, even if they move to selling books entirely over the internet. I don't think that anything can beat the feel of holding a book in your hand though. (Except maybe holding one with your name on the cover, lol.)
Bane of Anubis says
Bookstores will disappear b/c today's generation is nursed on technology. Physical books won't exactly be the slide-rule of tomorrow, but they'll probably be closer than many of us would like to believe.
Other Lisa says
Well, here's a thought for a comparison that just occurred to me…
Libraries. How many times did we used to hear that the Interwebz would render libraries obsolete? Though there's still some of this thinking out there (particularly in the corporate library world), this simply has not been the case. Libraries are more relevant than ever in an information economy, and as they have embraced their role in the community of bridging the knowledge gap.
Bookstores have a role to play in the community as well, and though clearly there has been a dramatic (and unfortunate) winnowing with the dominance of online retailers like Amazon, I believe that the smart ones can survive and thrive by expanding their roles as community centers, helping readers find good books, sponsoring author events and so on.
And having a store cat. Store cats are awesome!
Anonymous says
One of the exciting things about e-books for me is that I think it may become the PERFECT place for a new or experimental or unknown or quirky writer to emerge.
If readers could be given choices from ebook selections of new and unknown or different authors priced at $2.99
then possibly, as the writer gains in popularity, the ebook could go up to
$4.00. Imagine!
A little bit is better than nada.
And in this market, the stand alone differently writer seems to be turning beige.
Raethe says
Okay, first of all, the most awesome word verification ever: Fractic. (Fractic: v. To curse frantically.)
Okay, I seriously want to coin that as a term now. Can we all just agree to start using it?
Right. Moooving along.
Now, maybe this is just because personally, I couldn't care less about e-books, but I don't really see e-books killing paper books.
I think that there will always be people willing to shell out a little more for a hardcover or even a paperback, whether because they like the format or to support a favourite author, or whatever. I think there will always be people who enjoy browsing bookshelves (I know several–including a Kindle enthusiast).
Aside from the fact that people just enjoy commenting about the death of this or the fall of that (I know we're not exactly talking about the death of the novel here, but how many times has the novel been doomed so far, again?) I think people are looking at the music industry and assuming that books are headed the same way. But aside from the fact that some people (yes, other than me) actually do still buy CDs, the book is a physical artifact in a way that a CD is not.
E-books may one day be the larger market, but I can't see them doing away with paper books entirely.
Nathan Bransford says
raethe-
People may buy CDs, but it didn't save Virgin Records and Tower Records. There aren't many record stores left at all. That's my fear.
Anonymous says
If bookstores go for niche genres and author events they'll be okay. This is what my local bookstore is doing now. (Although, to be fair, my bookstore is in Brooklyn with many of the writers whose books line the shelves living within walking distance.)
But really, what with prices collapsing, maybe more authors will want to have events at bookstores to make additional money.
Anonymous says
The coexistence model is already in place at the libraries and boutique bookstores hereabouts.
The library has a coffee and pastry shop, a street vendor cart thingy, several dozen computers for online access, and a computerized regional server for online book reserves.
The boutique bookstores combine similar online and brick-and-mortar processes, and coffee and carbohydrate bribes. Several of them offer e-publication services and self-publishing services.
Ink says
I think my downfall was that I didn't have a store cat.
Ink says
And boy oh boy do I hope there's still room for bookstores in the future.
Nick says
"Well, here's a thought for a comparison that just occurred to me…
Libraries."
~ahem~
When I was a little bugger, the library was very big and had a great selection and I pretty much lived there. By the time I was 13, it had moved from a building the size of my old middle school (which, bear in mind, is large — although the student population is split across three middle schools, that's three schools holding the total HS population, which is always between 3100 and 4200 depending upon the year) to a building the size of my uncle's house, which is probably about half the size it was originally. Three years later, it moved into a building the size of my house, only vertical — and, just to give you an idea, my house is tiny. 1 16×20 bedroom, 1 15×13 bedroom, 1 9×10 bedroom, two bathrooms, a joint sitting room/dining room, and a small kitchen. We're pretty much an apartment with a basement. Anyway back to the library: Shut down this past August. Business was getting so poor they couldn't shrink any more. No buildings they could keep up costs for.
Now, there are other libraries not too far away that are still doing okay, but they've taken hits in traffic. Libraries are dying. Most of them just not as fast as people initially predicted.
Nicole says
I do think there's still room for both, but as a part of that I think the brick & mortar store will have to evolve. Many of them already have cafes on site. This helps. Author readings, release day parties (Harry Potter book releases, anyone?), library-style summer reading clubs… all of these things can help promote the local store. I hope they do grow and evolve enough to stick around. (This is one thing record stores never did successfully.) I would miss book stores if they were to ever go away.
reader says
I need both.
I like Amazon and online buying if I know what I want (I assume this will be the same if/when I break down and buy a Kindle/Nook/Sony Reader/iPad/whatever).
But it's when I don't know what I want that bookstores are most helpful. I don't need employee help — I just need to randomly walk the aisles and pick up new authors. Nothing can compare to a bookstore for this type of shopping. Seeing the books, the titles, reading random pages are the only way to discover something new. The "look inside" that Amazon offers just doesn't compare.
Jessica says
I'm not on the e-book wagon as of yet. I still love the feel and smell of books. I hope nothing replaces that feeling of a new hard back book and the crisp sound and feel of turning the next pages to discover something new. Of course I'm still a sucker for hand writing a letter, instead of an email.
Elle Strauss says
Congrats on reaching 3000 followers! That's epic.
Nicole says
I am personally a fan of the old fashioned printed book. I like the feel of the pages in my hand, the smell of the paper, everything the e-book lacks. However, I am not anti-e-book. I think the more access people have to books the better. I think bookstores will find a creative way to flourish with this new technology. I definitely don't side with the doom's day theorist that predict bookstores are going to go belly up. I love bookstores. I love the atmosphere. I love to go to a bookstore and look through all the books, however I buy my books on amazon because it's cheaper. They definitely need to address that issue. But long story short I think if bookstores get creative they will find a way to partner with e-books to make their stores flourish 🙂
Scott says
There's something magical about a bookstore. To me, it's a candy store – so many options, nice covers, the feel of the pages, the smell of the books. I love to just browse for hours, yes, hours, in a bookstore. I also love my Kindle, but . . . I've been known to go to the local bookstore, browse for hours, and then download the book from Kindle when I get home. Yes, I know, sacrilege! I do buy real books every now and then.
Perhaps, the best of both worlds, is to include the third world of a coffee shop atmosphere where patrons can browse the books, drink some coffee, and read their real and/or e-books. Yeah, I know, it's a work of fiction, but . . .
Marilyn Peake says
I love your post today. It brought back many memories. I also grew up in a small town. It did have stoplights that operated 24/7, but much was the same as you describe: only one movie theater that had only one screen, no mall, only small stores, and no bookstore. I hardly saw any movies in the theater until I was an adult, and immediately fell in love with cinema. Discovering bookstores as an adult was also a real treat. I remember discovering Dr. Seuss as a child way after his books were already popular, and the same with the Nancy Drew mysteries. Most of the books I read came from the library, and I still associate the smell of plastic covers on library books with a kind of magical experience. I discovered there was a wide world of literature through my high school literature classes, and that made a huge impression on me. I’m also pro-future and love change and scientific advancement, so I embraced eBooks and started buying them before the gadgets were really ready – I initially downloaded eBooks directly onto my computer and either read them on my computer or printed them out to read. I also love bookstores. It’s such a treat to walk through the aisles and see so many books on shelves! I don’t know where the future’s headed in terms of eBooks and paperbacks and hard covers, but I’m purchasing in all three formats, writing my own books and hoping for the best.
I love writing science fiction set in the future because it allows me to develop worlds in which futuristic developments already exist. In the novel I’m currently revising, I created futuristic versions of eBooks, notepads and other communication devices, as well as a method of time travel, because I realized that the characters should be using more advanced technology than exists right now.
daniel t. radke says
In order for bookstores to go away completely, books need to go away completely, and I don't think that'll ever happen. Hell, cars replaced horses, but you still got loons all over the place riding them.
And congrats on your 3000th follower!
Tambra says
I want both worlds as well. I'm published in print and e-book, so I want my work available to as many consumers as possible.
I buy both print and ebooks. At booksignings I can tell you the print sells and not the books on CD. (At least for me its been that way.)
Angela Knight writes for NYC and epublishing, which is the plan I have. Why should I have to choose? Why can't there be both options?
Hugs,
Tambra
http://www.tambrakendall.com
Nathan Bransford says
Thanks for 3,000! I really appreciate everyone keeping up with the blog and of course for everyone's terrific comments.
Anonymous says
Online bookstores have been a boon for large sections of the country that can't afford to support a bookstore. You have to be over 18 to go into the only bookstore in the town where I grew up (and where my family still lives) because it doubles as an adult toy shop.
(Yeah, it's that kinda podunk. And no, I'm not recommending other bookstores embrace that model to survive, either.)
Now that I live in the "big city" with real bookstores, I go there not just to browse, but for the environment. The big ones are a great place to hang out, read magazines, skim books, use the wifi and even grab a cup of coffee or a snack. If "bookstores" become multipurpose organisms, like a cross between a bookstore and an internet cafe, then I don't see any reason why the rise of e-books should destroy them.
Lindsey Edwards says
First off congrats on reaching 3000followers! You have a great blog here.
Next, I have the same hope as you that both worlds can co-exist. I'm not a user of the digital readers, but I see why others would fall in love with them. As for having the physical book in my hands, and the sights and sounds, the smell especially if there is a coffee house attached) of the bookstore can not be matched. I could spend hours within those walls and be perfectly content.
owlandsparrow says
I absolutely identify with your small-town experience – my hometown sounds similar (one blinking traffic light on the edge of town, a single-movie theater – the oldest in Texas! – and not even a Wal-Mart for 30 miles). When I moved there, I was in eighth grade – old enough to dearly miss bookstores.
Funny: your 3,000 followers outnumber the population of my hometown (which, last I checked, came in at a grand total of 2,154).
Dan says
If enough people switch from being bookstore customers to e-book customers that bookstores no longer earn a profit, then bookstores will go out of business. This is unlikely to happen anytime soon.
Cheaper pricing on new books was the one big advantage of e-books relative to conventional books. Now that the publishers have forced Amazon onto the agency pricing model, the best selling point for e-books is neutralized.
E-books are going to be a niche market for the foreseeable future. The Apple iPad is a slick version of a low-end laptop/netbook, not a device that will revolutionize lifestyles. I think this will be less of a force in publishing than the Kindle and other dedicated devices, because it will offer an inferior reading experience.
But even on a dedicated device, e-books are worse than traditional books for most readers. They must be read on a device that costs money and can run out of batteries. A paper book won't break if you drop it, is not a target for thieves, and does not represent a substantial investment if it is lost or ruined. It can be loaned or given away or sold.
C. Michael Fontes says
You know what would be a GREAT idea (at least, for my little pea brain, it "seems" great)… Have an online seller (Amazon, Borders, whoever) that sells the eBook and Hardcopy bundle. By the hard copy, for $5 more, you get the eBook. Start reading now, finish with the hardcopy when it arrives at your door.
Plus, you are selling the same book to the same person twice!
Susan Quinn says
I have a foot in both worlds, too, with my new nook. But I think the only real hope is to expand the number of readers. Will e-readers do this? Maybe. But bookstores maybe become booktique stores, rather than retailers.
Ink- I totally would have driven across the border if you had a cat. 🙂
Katya says
I don't get it. Digitally available music didn't kill the stores that sell CDs… why should e-books kill the bookstore? They are two different beasts… I buy the e-book when I know what I want. I got to a book store to browse.
Sarah says
David Eddings! Oh, I love David Eddings. He made me fall in love with reading all over again as a teenager. I read the Belgariad religiously, till the covers fell of the books.
I'm in love with bookstores. I want to LIVE in one, but I really don't have anything bad to say about technology that makes so many great books available to more people. I think there'll be a place for bookstores for a long time yet… but I do worry about local bookstores. It seems like we just don't have them in Australia*.
* I admit, vast generalisation, but they seem so few compared with the bigger chains…
Other Lisa says
@Nick, are you talking about school libraries?
I can only look at places like Los Angeles, where in spite of the horrendous budget hits, libraries are alive and vital. I'm talking about public libraries in this case.
I know that other places are having horrible problems with their library budgets, not because of lack of use but because of lack of funding. Salinas, IIRC, can barely keep theirs open.
chris bates says
Solution:
– Open a store in one of the most amazing cities in the world.
– Inhabit it with an ancient proprietor.
– Locate it within spitting distance of a 12th century cathedral.
– Sell the books as keepsakes to the literary tourists.
– Eat crepes and drink wine for your remaining years.
Sorry, just projecting my retirement dreams!
Anonymous says
The B&N in my small city–the only bookstore in town–is closing and parents of young kids are devastated. Going to the bookstore a fun outing for both parents and kids–they hang out in the children's section and parents read books to their kids etc. (and I often see them later in the checkout line).
I've seen parents stick a e-reader (like an iphone) in front of their kids on trains etc, but I don't think parents and children can't share the joy of books and reading the same way with an e-reader. It's just one more gadget that kids push buttons on.
Jil says
Last weekend when I mentioned e-books to my group of running buddies they were loud in their objections. I asked what if they were traveling, wouldn't an e-book be easier? No they said, better to buy paper backs and throw them away when read. I was surprised at the absoluteness of their rejection .
Happy too, I might add!
D. G. Hudson says
The market is definitely not saturated with ebook readers, but when the price becomes more affordable, I'm sure it will be.
It will take some time before e-books/readers become the norm. If in that time, bookstores look to their customers, re-assess their inventory, and how they do business, there may be a point of co-existence. Some of our favorite bookstores are landmarks, like 'City Lights' in Frisco and a few in Vancouver which are no more. There is no atmosphere to enjoy when ordering an e-book online.
Technology has its negative side too — it breaks down, it needs updating, and it clogs landfills due to the special recycling required. Printed books are recyclable, and can be given to societies that re-distribute them. More people can enjoy the printed copy regardless of their income.
It's the consumer attitude that will decide the issue. We each have that choice.