Unbelievable!- The French Still Flock to Bookstores

[carpetmojo]

"65...........Most Frenchmen are probably not as skillfiil drivers as most Americans............."


Questionable - but they are definitely better spellers.......



".................Their traffic rules and system are inferior to ours. "


Hmmmph.......... the Yanks ain't that good at all - they even drive on the pavement, for goodness sake !!!!

[And they seem to know their East frum their West/South frum North..... ]

[HansTWN]

People still flock to the bookstores here in Taiwan. Most sit down somewhere and start reading, using the stores like libraries where you cannot borrow the books. In the end they wind up buying something to compensate the store owners for this, I suppose. This way bookstores are almost always full of people.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

I don't read Dutch books either. That's because I can't read or speak Dutch.

It has been said that I should be able to...

Originally Posted by kumaryu

I miss bookshops. In my city, only one bookshop chain remains in business where once there was one on almost every high street. As a book reader suffering from Amazon addiction and an avid user of ebooks, I am responsible for this scourge.

I miss the experience of walking down the aisles looking at the covers, picking one up, reading the reviewers' comments, flipping through the pages and some times reading a few pages at random. "Look Inside" feature on Amazon just isn't the same.

To be honest, I like bookshops. Until I look at the price. And knowing I can get the same book for half the price, importing it from the US (and that includes S&H) makes my joy in browsing the bookstore a lot less. Even before I went 99% electronic (years ago) I hardly bought any book in a Dutch bookstore and ordered them abroad...

[kumaryu]

Originally Posted by Kumabjorn

French women actually smell lovelier and fresher than most other.

Yes! And with the right combination of soap, deodorants, hair products and parfum, you can smell just like them. Lovelier and fresher!

[carpetmojo]

The early Waterstones & Borders (in Bristol anyway) was a bit like that, with a coffee shop with more comfy armchairs & sofas - only obviously, the comfort wasn't a big enough financial plus in the end .........

But I always used to end up buying something - usually not the book I sat down with originally, which was a bit strange........

[mr ploppy]

The UK Toff Party did away with our similar law to benefit their friends in large corporations. We lost all the small book shops soon after. Now, if you want to go out and buy a book you get a choice from about 100 best sellers at the supermarket.

[Belfaborac]

I love bookshops abroad, here at home not so much. Insane prices and limited selections means I don't have it in me to shed any tears if a bookshop or chain has to fold. While I lived in Britain I dropped by a bookshop at least every other day and a few did indeed have a "reader's corner" with comfy chairs and sofas. One or two even had stacks of cups and a large, constantly topped-up coffee pot within arm's reach. Probably all gone now though.

[Soldim]

Originally Posted by plib

A more compelling reason is the intervention of the state. In the Anglophone book world the free market reigns; here it is trumped by price fixing.

Since 1981 the “Lang law,” named after its promoter, Jack Lang, the culture minister at the time, has fixed prices for French-language books. Booksellers — even Amazon — may not discount books more than 5 percent below the publisher’s list price, although Amazon fought for and won the right to provide free delivery.


Last year as French publishers watched in horror as e-books ate away at the printed book market in the United States, they successfully lobbied the government to fix prices for e-books too. Now publishers themselves decide the price of e-books; any other discounting is forbidden.

I really consider this the determining factor; fixed book prices without doubt have disadvantages but it seems mom- and pop shops are able to remain in business at the cost of large corporations. That's something I personally can very well live with

[Ninjalawyer]

Originally Posted by Soldim

I really consider this the determining factor; fixed book prices without doubt have disadvantages but it seems mom- and pop shops are able to remain in business at the cost of large corporations. That's something I personally can very well live with

Uh...The price fixing in France are imposing the government's will on consumer choice and holding back innovation in France. Those mom and pop stores are remaining in business at the expense of corporations, but also at the expense of consumers who would have gone elsewhere if given the choice; French consumers are effectively being (indirectly) taxed to support this business model.

I think most book readers loves the idea of bookstores, but given the choice most here have gone with ebooks over physical books. No doubt the price fixing laws in France are there to protect what they see as French culture, but I would remind them that it is dying cultures that are the ones that see the need to strenuously protect themselves.

[wyndslash]

Originally Posted by carpetmojo

Returning to the original thread, I have a sneaking - perhaps more - admiration for the manner in which the French fight to maintain their indigenous culture in so many ways.
I find it hard to raise much of a cogent argument against this attitude - yes, OK , the book market is tightly regulated, but there seems no great protest about it within the country.
The French are rightly proud of their language and identity.

And those "Free Book Fairs" - gosh, I wish we had that attitude, frankly.
More power to them for it.

i agree. i don't think it's about being unwilling to head into the 21st century (besides the other obvious insinuation there) :P *sigh* i don't want bookstores to go away! i do my part and buy when i step into a bookstore i would state my other thoughts as well but i might get flamed for it *hides*

[Soldim]

Originally Posted by Ninjalawyer

Uh...The price fixing in France are imposing the government's will on consumer choice

Fortunately for them, they have a democratic elected government and just during the last months reaffirmed their support for the socialist party which strongly supports the fixed book prices.

and holding back innovation in France.

Nah, that's an argument I won't buy. it is as easy to claim that having many small bookstores provides the necessary variety in reading material customers demand. Hence, no need to move to an eReader and electronic stores with lots of choice.

Those mom and pop stores are remaining in business at the expense of corporations, but also at the expense of consumers who would have gone elsewhere if given the choice;

They still have a certain extend of choice, last time I checked amazon.fr was still up and running offering quite a few eBooks. FNAC has an eBook store with a rather extended choice as well. There's smaller stores around too. However, the fact that mom and pop stores are able to successfully compete with these conglomerates shows that those large corporations have trouble increasing their market share if the price aspectis taken out of the equation.

French consumers are effectively being (indirectly) taxed to support this business model.

They choose it and keep supporting it, kudos to them!

I think most book readers loves the idea of bookstores, but given the choice most here have gone with ebooks over physical books.

I for sure have, my French wife sometimes reads books on our Kindle, and sometimes buys those dead-tree things in small stores. She seems rather happy with that deal and is generally more satisfied with the quality and diversity of contemporary French fiction then I am with the quality and diversity of available English fiction.

No doubt the price fixing laws in France are there to protect what they see as French culture, but I would remind them that it is dying cultures that are the ones that see the need to strenuously protect themselves.

I have lived both in the US and in several Western European countries and would have to frankly say that many big towns in the US are cultural deserts even when compared to rather smallish European cities, let alone places like Vienna, Paris, Amsterdam or Zurich. From what I have heard and read left and right I do not seem to be the only persons with that perception and would claim this cultural differences is rather an established fact than anecdotal evidence. What these European places have in common is that many, if not all, of their cultural endeavors are either subsidized, protected in some way or both. Hence, your statement that it's dying cultures that protect themselves seems somewhat far-fetched to me.

[wyndslash]

cultures don't die unless they are neglected >_> there are only trade-offs. i guess i feel passionate about this topic because i am rather conservative when it comes to certain subjects, as i'm sure many here are. i do think what the french have done is a good thing, personally. i'm just scared of the others here who have louder voices and are a bit aggressive in stating their own opinions on others *shrug* at least, it's what i have noticed *lately* around MR.

i also feel this way because i've been to places where locals were actively promoting their culture and they make sacrifices! i very much admire that. it's probably something i've been hard-wired with. our own local culture puts great weight on personal sacrifices for the sake of the others. /end dramatic rant >_> sorry, got carried away

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by wyndslash

i agree. i don't think it's about being unwilling to head into the 21st century (besides the other obvious insinuation there) :P *sigh* i don't want bookstores to go away! i do my part and buy when i step into a bookstore i would state my other thoughts as well but i might get flamed for it *hides*

Well, if the French publishers are resembling the Dutch publishers, it's a fear of the 21st century and the easy money the 20th century gave them by overpricing their books.

Originally Posted by Ninjalawyer

Uh...The price fixing in France are imposing the government's will on consumer choice and holding back innovation in France. Those mom and pop stores are remaining in business at the expense of corporations, but also at the expense of consumers who would have gone elsewhere if given the choice; French consumers are effectively being (indirectly) taxed to support this business model.

I think most book readers loves the idea of bookstores, but given the choice most here have gone with ebooks over physical books. No doubt the price fixing laws in France are there to protect what they see as French culture, but I would remind them that it is dying cultures that are the ones that see the need to strenuously protect themselves.

I'm not against a fixed bookprice. The fixed bookprice makes sure that all shops can sell books and bookshops won't be put out of business because some other shop also sells book for a bottom price because they're not dependent on those books.

But. If you have a fixed price, you should also be required to innovate. Especially publishers. And that's one thing they simply won't do.

[aceflor]

Originally Posted by Soldim

I have lived both in the US and in several Western European countries and would have to frankly say that many big towns in the US are cultural deserts even when compared to rather smallish European cities, let alone places like Vienna, Paris, Amsterdam or Zurich. From what I have heard and read left and right I do not seem to be the only persons with that perception and would claim this cultural differences is rather an established fact than anecdotal evidence. What these European places have in common is that many, if not all, of their cultural endeavors are either subsidized, protected in some way or both. Hence, your statement that it's dying cultures that protect themselves seems somewhat far-fetched to me.

+1. I am from Paris, also living abroad, but can assure you that the cultural life in many, many other and much smaller cities in Europe is better than what I have seen in Houston, Dallas, Miami, Washington D.C, even Chicago and L.A. (those are the towns I stayed in for each two to three months periods).
San Francisco and New York are the two exceptions that, as we know, "confirment la règle".

[wyndslash]

Originally Posted by aceflor

+1. I am from Paris, also living abroad, but can assure you that the cultural life in many, many other and much smaller cities in Europe is better than what I have seen in Houston, Dallas, Miami, Washington D.C, even Chicago and L.A. (those are the towns I stayed in for each two to three months periods).
San Francisco and New York are the two exceptions that, as we know, "confirment la règle".

there is something i read/heard before that talks about that soon all developed countries will look the same and the only thing that will distinguish them from others is their culture