Doyce posts about a Publetariat article on the dire writing on the wall viz bricks-and-mortar chain bookstores. An interestng read, and Doyce ends up with asking …
When was the last time you were in a Borders or Barnes and Noble? I can’t remember either.
Actually, I can. I was at the downtown Denver B&N just this lunchtime.
I can’t argue that’s a fully and perpetually sustainable model, but I like bookstores, and not just indie hole-in-the-wall places (which have their own charms and disadvantages), but the big, soulless chain bookstores — Borders and B&N. I like browsing through sections I like, much larger than what I can find at Target or Wal*mart, and seeing, much faster than I could browse on Amazon, an array of books that I can peruse. I also like being able to pick up a book, walk to the front of the store, hand them money, and walk out, reading it right then and there. Even though I’m an Amazon Prime customer (free two-day shipping on everything), you can’t beat that kind of instant gratification.
Is the selection as good as Amazon? No, but it’s often good enough. Are the prices better? Definitely not. But the convenience and serendipity factors are mighty counters to that, for me at least.
Now, I suppose if I were a Kindle user, I could get around the convenience factor (since you can download books wirelessly) — but I suspect I will be a very later adapter to the e-book model. I don’t want to rely on a single device (which can break or be misplaced) to read stuff. I don’t want to rely on DRM restriction on what I ostensibly own. I want to be able to loan books to friends. I want to be able to give away books that I’m not reading any more. I want to have different books downstairs, in my briefcase, in the bathroom — or two or three of them — and hop to the at any time. I want to browse through the books on my shelves, rediscovering old friends I haven’t seen for a while. I want to see gift inscriptions inside of covers.
So, while I do buy the majority of what books I have through Amazon (and there are some mighty advantages to that whole model), I don’t see not going to bricks and mortar stores any time soon. They just have too much to offer I can’t get elsewhere.
I was in B&N recently, but only to pick up a new Thomas guide. I’m not a browser at these places; I usually just pop in to see if they have some new Dilbert books.
But when my willpower slackens, Half Price Books’ siren call becomes irresistible. I browse my favorite sections and walk out with books on Hitchcock and Laurel and Hardy or games theory or birding or…
I was very glad to find them here when I moved from California. Too bad there are none in Colorado.
I miss browsing half-price books. There was one in Austin that I went to regularly. At half price or often less, I bought books on a whim that I could never justify at full price.
I like browsing some bookstores. For some reason that I cannot explain, I like Borders better than B&N. There was a bookstore in Austin called Bookstop that I liked. Some small bookstores are fun to browse, others are not. For some reason, Fort Collins does not have a book store I like. The used book stores seem to be mostly romances, which I think is odd for a college town.
Anyone know of any good used bookstores in Boulder?
Doyce wrote at Google Reader:
I think that’s a pretty viable model, esp. if decent high-speed printing/binding can be made that easy to do (for the “instant gratification” factor).
I think what that still lacks is high-speed “browsing.” I can’t browse through Amazon as fast or effectively (along some axes) as I can at B&N. If I know what sort of thing I’m looking for (“hey, has Jim Butcher done any new books in the Dresden series?” then Amazon, or a kiosk, is great. If I want to see what’s out there in scifi, then it’s a lot easier to wander through the SF/Fantasy section. There may be ways that can be made more efficient in an online sort of setup, but “real world” visual browsing will always have some advantages.
That said, economics may well force what you’re describing, for the very reasons you describe.
With respect to Doyce’s idea, much will hang on the quality of the physical product. I have no idea what print-on-demand books look like these days, but maybe they look great.
And, I forgot about “Book Cove” here in Fort Collins. It’s the best bookstore in town in my opinion, but I don’t often see things there that I want because their selection is relatively small.
Let’s see…
I was in either Borders, B&N, or The Boulder Book Store at *least* once a month for the past year. Having lived though the ’80s and Reagan’s recession, I have a very strong belief that if you do not buy from an indipendent or at the least local store, it *will* go away.
Amazon is only for wish lists, looking up things and/or getting things to folks in remote places, it is not a place to buy from for myself or for folks here in town.
Since this page wouldn’t load for days…
For David:
The Bookworm
3175 28th St # 2
Boulder, CO 80301
(303) 449-3765
On the west side of the 28th.
Semi related to this topic, I heard there’s a movement afoot with many publishers to convert their current returns policy (ironically, a depression-era policy) to Borders as “Non-returnable”. From what I could gather from the blog postings, this is a result of Borders unloading tons upon tons of unsold books- some dating back years- to the publishers or distribution warehouses last year in their attempts to inflate/deflate their inventory value. What, if any, affect would this have on us book buyers? Not that I return books- when I buy em, I keep em- and I have to say, as an frequent Indie shopper- I like the idea of sticking it to a place like Borders.
I understand why publishers would do that — but ultimately I see it hurting the overall market, books stores will only buy the minimum they can be *sure* of selling (same thing happened in the comic book world in the 80s, I believe).
I get very different things from physical bookstores, and have made some of my best book “friends” from browsing. It’s a hassle to make a mail return, which is why I don’t buy online unless I’m certain of the product.
Plus, “Going to the bookstore,” is a special treat for me (and the kids.) When I was younger I tried to promise myself one new book a week when I got a job. I don’t have that kind of disposable income right now, so any time I go it’s definitely special.
The majority of my new book purchases still come from the Science Fiction Book Club (member since 1979!).