Dunno if this has been posted yet, but this deserves discussion in the aftermath of the Borders meltdown:
Quote:
A recent incident at the bookstore spurred internal conversation about the digital age.
A person came in, read many recommendation tags, and talked to a bookseller for a while to get further recommendations. Nothing surprising there. Happens every day. That is why people come here. But she was writing down the titles, not picking up the books. At one point, she made reference to her Kindle and it became clear that she was making a list to order from amazon.com as ebooks.
We have always invited browsing and we do offer services for free (author events). But somehow this incident seemed different. We want to be welcoming and open to all people, customers or not. But somehow this incident raised questions.
Some of the questions we have been mulling over:
* What is the role of a bookstore in the digital age?
* Is there a role for a bookstore in the digital age?
* Is it obvious that if many fewer people buy books here, that their resource for good book ideas will disappear?
* Or should we try to find a skillful way to make this connection in people’s minds?
* Until or unless we can sell ebooks, do we have a leg to stand on in this conversation?
* What is the sound of one hand clapping?
What do you think?
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http://www.northshire.com/blog/?p=4159
Some of the comments really laid into the Kindle lady, but I've been guilty of using B&M stores as showrooms too. In fact, I much prefer browsing in bookstores-but buying ebooks online. Anyway, discuss ( hoping to keep the discussion insult-and DRM-debate free).