For those of you who don’t subscribe to the fine print extravaganza that is The New Yorker, have a look at the cover of next week’s issue, dated 9 June.
If I had balls, that cover would have kicked me in them.
Thanks to Dagny for the link.
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I live in a major metropolitan area and I don’t know of any non-chain, non-used bookstore that’s not single niche (such as children’s books or Christian books). I live very close to a Half-Price Books, and far enough from the B&N;to make it a pain to get there. If it’s not on the rack at Target, then Amazon is definitely going to be the convenient, cheap option for new purchases for me, even with the shipping delay. I do have two great resources for romances that aren’t particularly close, but often worth the trip. The Waldenbooks at a local mall is excellently stocked and regularly hosts author events. Meet SEP there when she was touring First Lady years back. And there’s a gem of a UBS with just about every romance ever published, racks of OOPs. They offer a great trade discount, too, which I imagine generates much loyalty, if not profit. I hit that place about every four to six months to gather my latest backlist glomming obsessions and drop a fortune.
I read this thread this morning and thought of several things to say. I didn’t have time to post because I had errands to run. I needed to go to the mall and pick up a few things. I always allow a few minutes to browse the bookstore while I am there as well. I took care of business and headed the bookstore only to find it boarded up with a sign that read “Coming soon! Build-A-Bear Workshop!”
Shit!
Probably true, and I’ve just hit a cynical patch. At a guess, it’s because money is tight, and all the more beneficial ways seem more expensive. Better to buy organic, better to buy Fairtrade, better to buy clothing made by people who have decent working conditions.
And I see that, and for all my reprehensible chicken-herding failures, I don’t want to buy chicken at a price that condemns birds to painful lives.
But this seems to go one step further, and suggest that I should pay more – because what? – for no ethical or moral reason, just that I should prefer bookshops to exist.
And quite possibly that isn’t what the article says – but I thought Sarah’s comment :
suggested that a degree of guilt would be an appropriate response.
Someone replied to me off-line, saying that authors get paid less by Amazon, and if that’s true, maybe there’s a case to be made for buying elsewhere – though I’d imagine authors also benefit from having their books distributed more widely. I buy US authors who aren’t published in the UK from Amazon.
I think, most of all, I don’t believe I can make a difference. There
were factories in town when I was small – there were milkmen. The fact that something is good for a community doesn’t mean it can be retained in the teeth of market forces.
(Sould add, possibly, that I’m being theoretical, and while I buy from Amazon, I buy from both my local – chain – bookshops as well.)
Two points (and I speak as someone who still misses Oxford Too):
1) At this point it is entirely likely that the woman isn’t ordering a book. It could be shoes. Or electronics. Or Ecover in bulk, and I am not going to feel guilty for getting the Ecover via Amazon rather than via my local Whole Foods (which is pretty much the only carrier of Ecover I know of in Atlanta). Which is not to say that people no longer order books via Amazon, just that thinking of Amazon as solely a bookstore (and thus every Amazon purchase coming at the expense of a brick-and-mortar bookstore) is somewhat outdated.
2) Independent bookstores + online shipping = AbeBooks. That was how I got all the books I needed for one class this spring from this bookstore, and I don’t live anywhere near Portland.
Dagny: Are you near Coffee Buy the Book?
Regarding indie bookstores that didn’t seem to stock what folks wanted: how were said stores’ ordering policies? My late favorite used/new bookstore was pretty good about ordering new books that I wanted but weren’t in their stock (I liked giving their owner the money). Admittedly, when it came to some OOP books (particularly the travel/true-life adventure books my dad fancied) I’d end up at abebooks when he didn’t stock them, as I assumed (wrongly?) that bookstores can’t place an order for OOP stuff.
And yes, while Amazon sells a lot of non-book things, I’m pretty sure that wasn’t the cover artist’s point… (Say, anybody know what percentage of Amazon sales *aren’t* books these days?)
[feeling37—well, lately I’ve been feeling older than my age it seems…]
I purchase books through Amazon and with no regrets. Who can argue the convenience and pricing at Amazon? The convenience is especially important to those of us who cannot get out to make purchases in the community. When I am able, I happily make a point to browse and patronize our local bookshop. I am so very grateful for the availability of both.
I swear I heard or read recently the true story that I assume this is depicting—a delivery came for the upstairs tenant, the bookseller downstairs either got it by mistake or signed for it because the tenant was out, and it turned out to be a book that the bookseller had in stock anyway.
Regarding indie bookstores that didn’t seem to stock what folks wanted: how were said stores’ ordering policies?
One talked me out of ordering.
So I went to a different independent in a bigger city, and got the book.
Another did a special order for me, but it took so long that I’d forgotten about the book, by the time it came. This store is part of a very small chain, and the people who work there admit that they have no idea what they’ll be stocking, until they open the boxes. All decisions go through the main office, an hour away.
A third store was able to get Harry Potter, but told me another book I wanted was listed as ‘unavailable’ by the distributor.
So I went to yet another indy, in a different big city, and found the book, no problem.
And these books I’m looking for are all mainstream, NYC hardcovers. I’m not trying to trick them.
If I wanted to buy a video game, or a DVD, I would go to the video store, or the game store, and check the pre-order board, put down money, etc. And pick up my item on the release date.
I know that books have release dates too. And some books, like the next Evanovich or the next Nora Roberts, have people interested in buying. Would it be so hard for these stores to post a sign, with release dates and a reminder to pre-order?
Amazon goes out of it’s way to remind me, by e-mail, when something by a favorite writer comes out. And it makes assumptions, based on my history, and then suggests new stuff that I wouldn’t have found on my own.
So it may be a soul-less corporation, but it is at least giving me the illusion of personalized service.
I’m not say an indy shouldn’t specialize in certain genres and build a core customer base. But there is a difference in having a niche and still offering a fair selection of other popular genres and being welcome to all, and making it clear in their selections and attitude that we only want those core customers here and not you.
And I also need to apologize for not citing RWA when I used their figure of 61% of Mass Market Paperback sales. Geez! Have I learned nothing from this site about not citing sources.
They won’t order by phone, or just mail it to you. Which means I have to make two trips to the store. That is why I liked the UBS I mentioned upthread. She would take orders over the phone, then I could just go by to pick them up. As the SAHM to a four year old I’m lucky to get to the bookstore once a month, let alone twice to pick up a book.
I belong to several mail order book clubs and the majority of my purchases come from there. I also buy from Target, B&N;, and a lot from Borders seeing as I live in it’s hometown (Ann Arbor) and it supplies jobs here. I occasionally buy from Amazon but I am addicted to NEW books. The smell. Pristine pages. Mine. All mine.
It is expensive but I hope what goes around comes around when I get published. (praying to publishing Goddess)
I do pass them on—except for my Noras.
Christine, it does seem as if your indie store there is trying it’s best to shoot itself in the foot. Yikes. I think Canadian indie stores have another advantage because the national chain, for whatever reason, cannot stock or order books that don’t have a Canadian distributor (which happens for more books than one would think, or at least the kind of books I buy) whereas the indies don’t face similar restraints. And my store owner would never discourage someone from buying *hardcover*. LOL. Yikes.
I try not to buy books online unless I can’t find them anywhere in person. I’d rather have the instant gratification, thanks.
I admit I hadn’t taken into account *distances* to local bookstores; living where I do (Davis, CA) I’m a bit spoiled by the relative compactness of town and its bike-friendliness, so my favorite late book store was just over a mile’s round trip to go and browse and/or buy.