DOUBLE FEATURE: Struggling to Stay on Paper

In honor of the most recent poll, "Do you believe paper books will become obsolete?" I am hosting a double feature on current developments in the book industry. Books have come so far from cave drawings, to scrolls, to codex, to hardcovers, paperbacks, audio books, and now, ebooks. What happens next? Where will this industry go?

The first feature is entitled "Struggling to Stay on Paper." So far with the release of ebooks regularly printed books seem to be doing okay. However, keeping up with the proper supply and demand while dealing with complaints of rising book prices in bookstores is becoming a major concern to both bookstore owners and their patrons. Read on to learn more and don't forget to vote on the poll located at the bottom of this blog page! (There are only TWO days left.)

Competition is Killing Independent U.S. Bookstores

By: Mark PorterNEW YORK (Reuters) - Empty shelves line a back wall of Coliseum Books in midtown Manhattan and a few customers flip through the remaining stock for bargains.

After more than three decades the independent bookseller is closing its doors -- one of many bookshops across the United States that have fallen victim to the Internet, chain stores like Borders and Barnes & Noble, and large discounters.

Since the early 1990s the number of independent bookstores in the United States has halved to about 2,500, according to a report in The New York Times.

Coliseum owner George Leibson said that while a lot of people were coming into the store to browse, they were not buying. Coliseum has spent the past four years on 42nd Street after moving from its home on 57th Street.

"We searched high and low for a high-traffic area, but it hasn't worked out," he said. "Chain-store sales and the Internet are far more practical. People will go to places closer to them. Places like Barnes & Noble."

Leibson also said that -- like the toy industry -- discounters such as Wal-Mart and Target have taken a big bite out of the bottom line of independent booksellers.

Maryann Wlock, a business manager, was a loyal customer of Coliseum when the store was located at 57th Street.

"I did all my shopping at Coliseum. But I never went to the new one on 42nd Street," she said. "I am loyal to Borders in the Time Life Building -- I get some great coupons and also get a credit based upon the money I spend with them each month."

Kate Bearce is closing her bookstore, Main Street Books, in Pella, Iowa, after 12 years of business.

"We have a Wal-Mart supercenter opening nearby soon. ... The Internet certainly takes a lot of sales" also, she said.

According to the most recent figures from the U.S. Bureau of the Census, retail sales at bookstores -- independent and chain stores -- were below 2005 levels in October for the fourth month in a row. At the end of October retail sales were down 1.8 percent for the year.

Bearce said the U.S. consumer needed to be educated about the importance of small businesses in the local economy. She said the customer will ultimately lose.

"Customer service is not the same. When somebody walks in this store I know them, their kids, their parents, their grandparents. I put books in their hands. That's what my customers really like," she said.

"I have many customers that tell me, 'If I send my kids to you, I know you will provide them with appropriate titles,'" said Bearce, adding that that kind of service cannot be duplicated at the bigger bookstores and discount outlets.

Deb Andolino, who is shutting Aliens & Alibis in Columbia, South Carolina, said lesser-known authors would suffer from the closures.

"If there's no one to recommend them to customers, they may not get their next book. And there's some really, really good mid-list authors out there," he said.

In New York, the closure of Coliseum has upset loyal customers.

"It's sad to see these little bookstores disappearing. I'm sorry to see it go. I used to go when it was on the West Side. ... I'm not happy," said a woman, who declined to give her name, as she searched for a bargain.

The original article can be found here: http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=20061226150748999

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Check back TOMORROW for the second part of this double feature, "The Expresso Book Machine!"

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Well, what do you think?
How do you prefer to read a book? Hardcover? Paperback? Audio? Ebook?
Where do you prefer to shop? Independent bookstore? Used bookstore? Franchise bookstore (Borders, Barnes and Noble, etc.)? Online?