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