Where are the Bookstores Going?

     As you all probably know I manage a bookstore, I am a self proclaimed book guru.  I love books and always have.  Getting lost in a world someone else created is one of the greatest past times around.  I know that I sound old fashioned and maybe I am but a good book can take you places that are imagined by someone else.  In my opinion that's pretty cool.  That being said my world is threatened.  Bookstores, publishing, what we read and how are changing.  I am no fuddy-duddy.  I have a NOOK, in fact I have several as do the members of my family.  I love being able to take hundreds of books with me wherever I go.  I love not having to decide what 5 books to take on vacation with me.  I love that I can read anywhere.  But I also love walking in my front door and being surrounded by shelf after shelf of books, old and new.  I love books whatever format they come in, and I have them all.

     I get asked more times than I can count in a day "are you going out of business?" I want to scream out loud every single time I hear it.  But the truth is no one knows.  With some of the big box retailers that sell everything from toilet paper to windshield wipers trying to cash in on best sellers, selling them for several dollars cheaper, we lose business.  That's fine if you only ever read the 10 most popular books.  Where will you go when you want to look for a book?  Where will you go when you want someone to help you pick out a book or recommend one?  I'm fairly sure most employees as those big box will point you to their top ten display and tell you that those are good.  This will have no impact on those who don't enjoy reading and I understand.  To those of that do this is an uncertain time. 

     The changing business has also brought some wonderful perks.  We now have a direct line to some of our favorite writers through on line forums, twitter, Facebook etc.  You can drop one them a question and in most cases you'll get a response, it's awesome.  It has given authors that wouldn't have been picked up by a traditional publisher the means to get their book out there, to be a published author.  My point is, technology cannot replace all of the people who go into getting a book out there.  The writer writes it, it's edited and edited again, it's printed, shipped, unpacked, stocked on shelves and talked up by a bookseller.  There are hundreds of people that make a book happen.  So shop in a bookstore, ask someone who works there to recommend you a book they liked and I almost guarantee you'll find something you love.  The fortunate thing is, I'm not the only one who feels this way.  John Green wrote a small article on www.shelf-awareness.com called "We built this together", you should read it.