tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18086590.post113159452769224822..comments2023-12-23T05:12:55.809-05:00Comments on The Written Nerd: Response: Why Amazon Is Not the Best Thing to Happen to BooksellingBook Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02896226559142059293noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18086590.post-1133152726645089082005-11-27T23:38:00.000-05:002005-11-27T23:38:00.000-05:00Your comments are, of course, exactly the case, an...Your comments are, of course, exactly the case, and the reason why amid everything else I have to do as an independent publisher I'm working on a new paradigm that uses the advantages of print-on-demand to benefit all parties concerned. If we save a few trees as well, all the better. More oxygen in the air means a clearer head for reading. :-)Elizabeth K. Burtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15511017280594980129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18086590.post-1133141501227374872005-11-27T20:31:00.000-05:002005-11-27T20:31:00.000-05:00Thanks for your comments, Elizabeth and Grant -- I...Thanks for your comments, Elizabeth and Grant -- I'm grateful for honest thoughts about the state of independent bookselling. In response to Elizabeth's legitimate complaint (as the author of an independently published fantasy novel), I'm afraid many independent bookstores are still leery of self-published or print-on-demand books -- they're used to doing business in a certain way, and changing that would involve deep changes to their structure, or at least hiring someone who knows how to get at books that don't come from a major distributor. It's something that we'll have to learn, I think, or continue to lose sale after sale to Amazon. On the other hand, if an independent bookseller gets their hands on a copy of your book and likes it, they'll be handselling it to customers based on individualized tastes -- something Amazon will not be able to do.<BR/><BR/>As for Grant's unfortunate experience, that sucks! The volume of books received in a store in a day can be overwhelming, and with a slim and specialized staff it can be tempting to just tell a customer to come back later. But our strength and our base as independents is repeat customers, and it's vitally important for us to make their requests a priority. Every bookstore I've ever worked in has responded to such a request with "I think it's in one of these boxes -- if you've got a couple of minutes, we'll fish it out right now!" The best bookstores will always treat customers that way -- but we're not all perfect. On the other hand, I doubt B & N would ever rearrange their receiving schedule to accomodate a single individual.<BR/><BR/>As Public Enemy says, "They're gonna have to wait / 'Till we get it right." =) At our best, we're all learning and growing and changing, and the bookstores that will survive will be the ones that can adapt to new needs, new realities. Thanks again for pointing them out.Book Nerdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02896226559142059293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18086590.post-1132615128931935002005-11-21T18:18:00.000-05:002005-11-21T18:18:00.000-05:00Just found your blog by way of BookDwarf. My take...Just found your blog by way of BookDwarf. My take on independents is that if you find a great one--Bookdwarf's Harvard Bookstore or St. Mark's or yours or Elliott Bay and so forth, it is a real find. But is it retail fatigue, or the thin margin of profit yielding to bare bones staffing, or the nature of staff drawn to this work, or something else that creates this aggrevation that I've found in almost any independent: "oh yeah, it says we have it here, but it is still in a box/downstairs in an unsorted pile" or "yes, we have that Norton/Knopf/Sarabande title in receiving along with several others--I can get the title you want for you, but you'll have to wait until day after tomorrow before Pat is in to shelve the other books before you can see what else came in the shipment." <BR/><BR/> Dammit, you sell books, and only books (usually)...not CDs and coffee mugs and stationary and god knows what else. Books are at the heart of it all. And folks who come to independents are more likely to be serious bookaholics, who want to browse, and are on top of what is most recently published. <BR/><BR/>So get the books out where the customers can see them right away. Can't be a higher priority than that. <BR/><BR/>OK, I feel better now.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18086590.post-1132586777147406302005-11-21T10:26:00.000-05:002005-11-21T10:26:00.000-05:00I agree with you one hundred percent that, while A...I agree with you one hundred percent that, while Amazon has its niche, it will never replace a good bookstore.<BR/><BR/>However, your rebuttal seems to rest on an implication that a buyer can obtain any book available from Amazon at said bookstore, which is sadly not the case. In the past month alone, I've been told bookstores point-blank refused to special order a copy of one of our titles for a customer--because they aren't available through Ingram.<BR/><BR/>I don't say this is the norm (well, except for the superchains). And I understand there are issues with inventory-free printing of books where bookstores are concerned (although I would be delighted to work on those with anyone). However, there seems to me to be a difference between not wanting to stock a particular title and refusing to even purchase a copy for someone who asks for it--and is even willing to prepay for the merchandise to ensure the bookseller isn't left hanging.<BR/><BR/>That said, we have done business with a number of booksellers who are more amenable to variety, and as far as I know the relationship has been mutually beneficial. Unfortunately, there haven't been enough of them that we can stop recommending that those who want a copy of one of our books go to Amazon to get it.Elizabeth K. Burtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15511017280594980129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18086590.post-1131623106560922592005-11-10T06:45:00.000-05:002005-11-10T06:45:00.000-05:00Thanks for weighing in! Powell's is an indie that...Thanks for weighing in! Powell's is an indie that has done a tremendous job of taking advantage of the Internet as a tool -- their websites are good-looking, useable, and filled with the words of actual employees recommending books and sharing what's new and exciting. Even in the virtual world, it's much more of a community-driven place than Amazon is capable of being. I've never been to Powell's in person -- it's on my wish list for great bookstores to visit!Book Nerdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02896226559142059293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18086590.post-1131595053784861562005-11-09T22:57:00.000-05:002005-11-09T22:57:00.000-05:00You are SO right. I used to live in Portland, OR ...You are SO right. I used to live in Portland, OR and they have an independent bookstore called Powell's that no web site could replace. There's just something about the ambience, the knowledge of the employees, and the ability to get lost in there for hours and hours that cannot be replicated well online.purvishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13693942907952783613noreply@blogger.com