Will bookstores grow extinct?
As a writer, I find I need to know about my industry. I do my best to read and keep up, and those who follow such things know that the world of publishing is in quite a bit of turmoil these days. Many tech gurus and eBook advocates are predicting the end of the bookstore as we know it.
Earlier this week, I gave a talk at a Literary Ladies Luncheon — a brilliant marketing endeavor at the independent mystery bookstore, Murder on the Beach, up the road in Delray Beach, FL. During the question and answer session, one of the ladies in the audience asked me what I thought about eReaders such as the Kindle, and did I think bookstores were becoming obsolete. Since I am the owner of two eReaders, a Kindle and an iPad, and such devices are often seen as the antiChrist incarnate by independent booksellers, this was potentially very thin ice. But as one who dreams of selling a new book soon and a tropics dweller who knows nothing about ice, I plunged right in.
Do I think brick and mortar bookstores are going to survive the eBook revolution? My answer is yes, but only if they are able to adapt to this swiftly changing world. Frankly, I don't think the big chains like B&N and Borders will make it. They have too much invested in all their many locations and now antiquated methods of operation that include warehousing books, trucking them across the country, and permitting booksellers to return unsold copies. The Kobo and the Nook are both likely to go the way of the 8- track, too, as too-little-too-late devices.
When people suggest that bookstores may become obsolete, the print lovers first defense is that the serendipity of the browsing experience cannot be duplicated online. As one who has spent many joyous hours perusing the shelves of hundreds of different brick and mortar bookstores, I understand this argument. There's nothing like the smell of books, right? But stand outside one of those stores with crowded cafes and check out how many customers exit with a bag full of books. How many of those stalwart defenders of independent bookstores actually buy most of their books at Walmart, Costco or Amazon? Price and convenience often trump the "bookstore browsing experience" — and that was happening long before the Kindle showed up on the scene.
Charles Darwin wrote, "It is not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change."
Like it or not, the digital revolution has hit the world of books. In order to survive, independent bookstores are going to have to build on their current strength, and that is the ability to build a community. Many stores such as Miami's Books and Books already often have coffee bars, free Internet and many author events. And best of all, they have intelligent, well-read and wise employees who can guide customers through the overwhelming number of books published today.
These attributes are wonderful, but I don't think they are enough to prevent our independent bookstores from becoming extinct in today's digital world. When you walk into a bookstore, you see hundreds of discreet, independent, stand alone products. The only thing that connects these analog products to the consumer is the bookseller.
Humanity is all about making connections. One of the most powerful aspects of eBooks is their ability to link — to each other and to the world. EBooks are searchable and the shelf space in the digital store is not nearly so finite, so the midlist and indie authors who can never find their books on the shelves of the brick and mortar stores, find they are welcomed back into the digital world. A mega-bookstore can have an inventory of more than 250,000 books. The digital bookstore's capacity is boundless.
In the digital bookstore (of which Amazon currently reigns as king), the content of the books and the purchasing history of the clients are entered into a database, so that when you enter the store, you are presented with specially selected products based on your last visit. When you view products, you are offered similar products that other people often bought. The store offers reader review space and forums so that customers can communicate with each other. And in this way, the digital bookseller is creating a community, too, and it is a much larger community.
I believe that the independent booksellers who will survive will be those who recognize this need to create a unique community of book lovers. When we start reading most of our books on screens, we need physical human contact more than ever. Rather than seeing eBooks as the enemy, I think the independents who embrace the digital as well as the analog will survive. How many independent bookstore websites offer customers the chance to post reviews of, comments on, or debates about their favorite books? How many stores post podcasts on their websites of their author events so that those who can't attend in person can still take part? If they have podcasts, can customers comment on them? How many host book swap nights or singles nights or character dress-up parties? What about video contests of short videos reenacting favorite scenes from books with gala awards ceremonies? Independent stores need to find creative ways to make their stores fun places for book lovers to gather and meet and talk — not just to sip coffee and stare at computer screens.
The independent store that goes out and hires some kid to create an app for authors to sign digital books, then offers several touch screen tablets, each with a stylus, for visiting authors to do a digital signing of books purchased in store via the store's Amazon affiliate link — will be a store that understands what Darwin was talking about and successfully evolves into the digital world. And those independent booksellers will understand that you can't really make friends with people on Amazon.
What about it? Do you think bookstores will be around ten years from now, and if so, what will they look like?
Fair winds,
Christine
