Quote:
Originally Posted by ProfCrash
I would love a system where I could walk into a book store, work with someone who knew books, pick a few books, buy them from a kiosk at the store so the store gets credit, and have the book sent to my device. That would be flipping amazing. I don't read paper books anymore so I don't go to the book store because I don't think it is fair to pick the brains of the store clerk and then not buy anything.
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...or the pbook gets delivered the next day. Go small, automate, invest in POD...
A new balance can be found.
The fundamental flaw of the superstore model is that 80% of revenue comes from bestsellers that occupy maybe 5% of the floorspace (and are available everywhere) and the other 90%-plus floorspace is occupied by slow-moving midlist and backlist titles. In the old days, the slow movers drew in traffic by offering a bigger selection than the bestseller-focused channels but today anybody interested in midlist/backlist content is better served by online. The bulk of the books they stock is little better than ambiance, revenue generation-wise.
Everybody keeps harping on amazon prices but Amazon's success is really driven by their catalog size. Until B&M figures out they have to be competitive on selection, not just on price, they'll always be at risk. Interestingly, in the digital world it is easier to compete with Amazon on tradpub selection, which is why KDP and Select are so important to Amazon.