Bookstores: Digital or paper? Or both?

[Alisa]

Originally Posted by Darqref

1. A *good* bookseller wants and needs to know as much as possible about what's being published, in all forms and formats. One of my reasons for going to a bookstore is to take advantage of that knowledge. Currently that is by seeing what's on the shelves, on the new books racks, or what the staff recommend. I could still use this in an ebook transaction - the point is that I don't know everything that is available. Even in print, I regularly get surprised by finding something I didn't expect, and that's almost the only way I'll see new authors. Ebooks just expand the problem, because I almost never hear about all the new stuff, and then there's the garbage filter that one effect of an established publisher.

2. A bookseller would have to charge something above the internet fee, just to pay salaries, lights, and rent. That inevitably means the ebook would cost more. That's a minus, but if the actual price is still reasonable, I may not mind paying. Dunno how the economics would really work out though.

3. One of the reasons for genre bookstores, is that it's hard (and/or not interesting to the seller) to be up to date on everything, and maybe they can keep up with a smaller focus. Would you go to a bookstore for ebooks, if the staff were really knowledgeable about something like foreign language literature, or one or more special genres? Now add ebooks to the mix, and suddenly you're finding out about stuff just published in Timbuktu or New South Wales, and it doesn't depend on a mistaken street date or slow shipment.

4. I don't believe we'll see an ebook-only physical store. But when the bookstore is doing stuff like author signings, I think anything extra would be good for business.

*** Hey Fans, here's a special offer, get all of specialAuthorX's backlist in ebook form for $10 when you buy the new hardback. Good only while the Author is in the store!*** (or similar time limited promotions.)

I envision the "bookstore" of the future being more like a book club: a social space that serves food and drink, provides a place to hang out, and possibly sells other items like readers, accessories, games, etc. It could cooperate with publishers (possibly tailored to a specific genre) to publicize books, host events, et.c, for which it could also receive a commission. I'm not likely to go to a brick and mortar just to buy content I can easily download. I will go out and pay money for a good experience. I think plenty of book lovers would enjoy finding a place where they could talk face-to-face with other people that were interested in the same stuff.

I think when most of us look with sorrow on the idea of the "demise" of the bookstore (or the library *gasp*), it's not just for a big room full of paper. It's for the value those places provide to us in reading and learning. That comes from people, not wood pulp.

[nekokami]

Yes, I was just thinking that a coffeehouse that specialized in ebooks and had staff knowledgeable about them would be great. I think they could charge a bit more for the food items to subsidize the internet access, and maybe have some kind of membership that would charge a small fee but would offer a discount on their recommended titles, etc. Such a shop might also sell used paper books and could offer special exchange deals so those who bring in books get a discount on new ebooks (for simplicity, I'd say the titles wouldn't even need to be the same). They could have author readings/signings, writer's workshops, book discussion clubs, etc. to help bring people in and build up the community aspect. They could also have large digital displays that would promote new books selected by the staff, etc. These could even be kiosks with virtual bookshelves. You'd only need a few-- when customers aren't using them, they'd cycle through "shelf" displays of all the content in the store, probably emphasizing the store's "featured" items. When customers want a particular book, or want to browse a particular area, they could use one of these nice large screens to do so, giving them a chance to look at the cover art, view contents, etc., plus the ability to read reviews, see other customer ratings, etc.

And of course, they'd sell a variety of ebook readers and software, with samples one could see in the store, and have staff who know at least a little about the tools who can answer questions.

I think it's quite a plausible business model. I'd shop there. If I hadn't just started a doctoral degree program, I'd consider trying to set up such a shop myself.

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by nekokami

Yes, I was just thinking that a coffeehouse that specialized in ebooks and had staff knowledgeable about them would be great. I think they could charge a bit more for the food items to subsidize the internet access, and maybe have some kind of membership that would charge a small fee but would offer a discount on their recommended titles, etc. Such a shop might also sell used paper books and could offer special exchange deals so those who bring in books get a discount on new ebooks (for simplicity, I'd say the titles wouldn't even need to be the same). They could have author readings/signings, writer's workshops, book discussion clubs, etc. to help bring people in and build up the community aspect. They could also have large digital displays that would promote new books selected by the staff, etc. These could even be kiosks with virtual bookshelves. You'd only need a few-- when customers aren't using them, they'd cycle through "shelf" displays of all the content in the store, probably emphasizing the store's "featured" items. When customers want a particular book, or want to browse a particular area, they could use one of these nice large screens to do so, giving them a chance to look at the cover art, view contents, etc., plus the ability to read reviews, see other customer ratings, etc.

And of course, they'd sell a variety of ebook readers and software, with samples one could see in the store, and have staff who know at least a little about the tools who can answer questions.

I think it's quite a plausible business model. I'd shop there. If I hadn't just started a doctoral degree program, I'd consider trying to set up such a shop myself.

i would *love* a shop like that. please do open one, then open a chain, with one near my house

[nekokami]

The ebook shop I'm talking about could also have "theme days," e.g. Monday is Science Fiction & Fantasy, and the default displays would feature prominent SF&F books and art, and maybe there would be a roleplaying game or Starfleet Battles (or Cosmic Encounter) going on at one of the tables. Tuesdays we'd do history and historical fiction, with appropriate music, and a discount on your beverage if you come in wearing period clothing. It's easy to theme the whole shop if your displays are electronic.

Maybe after I get tenure.

[JWLaRue]

Ahhh...good old SFB!

Does anyone still play that?

-Jeff (who still has all his SFB materials, including the original small packet version and issues of Nexus magazine)

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by JWLaRue

Ahhh...good old SFB!

Does anyone still play that?

-Jeff (who still has all his SFB materials, including the original small packet version and issues of Nexus magazine)

Wow - fond memories! I used to be a big SFB fan back in my student days in the early 1980s.

[nekokami]

I didn't play, but my husband (whom I hadn't yet married, at the time) and a lot of our other friends did. I think these days most people play this sort of thing on the computer, as it makes handling all the chart lookups, etc. easier, but there was a certain charm to the original that is somewhat missing in the computer version....

[Taylor514ce]

I'm a board-game gamer: Settlers of Catan, Puerto Rico, Power Grid, high-end strategy games. Banks' "Player of Games" is one of my favorite SF stories.

The problem with your bookstore idea is lack of availability of e-books (the devices). Until you can stock 3 or 4 competing devices, you can't really have a store!

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by Taylor514ce

The problem with your bookstore idea is lack of availability of e-books (the devices). Until you can stock 3 or 4 competing devices, you can't really have a store!

don't discourage her ! hopefully, by the time she opens it, she will be able to stock plenty of competing devices (so, just how long does it take to get tenure, exactly ? )

[nekokami]

I think we could sell ebooks themselves, in addition to the devices, by selling coupons with a discount or automatically directing wireless internet connections through a webstore first before going out to the rest of the internet. And there are at least three competing devices now. I know Amazon sells theirs directly, but they also have an affiliate program, and they're pushing the Kindle through that program. I think it would be possible to build a model that would work with Kindle resales for a small margin.

Anyway, the primary income for the store would probably be the beverages and food. (My husband makes very addictive scones. We've just started selling them through a local vendor.)

I'm probably about 4 years away from completing my doctorate (including defending my dissertation). Figure another year to get a job, another two or so to get tenure. (If I'm lucky, I might be able to get a tenure-track position before I defend.)

Settlers of Catan is good. Player of Games is one of my own personal favorites.

[Taylor514ce]

I've built a few custom Settlers/Seafarers sets, from a range of materials. I went the whole clay model / latex mold route. Then I built a set with hand-painted wooden pieces, with laser-cut hexes and of course custom artwork.

The current set is much more ambitious: an actual table, with wrought-iron legs, and a large, rotating top with the Catan tiles being actual porcelain tiles, giving the table a mosaic effect.

It's a nice, non-electronic hobby.

[nekokami]

Is your work up on a website somewhere? I saw something like that, a while back when I was researching getting a board game produced.

[Taylor514ce]

Ummm... I neither confirm nor deny that any of my handiwork is featured on any site. I've certainly not put any of my sets up or sale online, though I've undertaken "commissions" from friends.

[nekokami]

I just recall seeing a website featuring someone's extended project of building a 3d version of Settlers, not for sale, but for personal use, and wondered if that was you. But now that I think about it, I don't need to know that. (But if you want the URL, pm me and I'll see if I can find it again.)

I'm guessing you're also a Magic Realm player?

[Taylor514ce]

I know the URL. No, not a Magic Realm player.