Writers First Aid

The Magic of Bookstores

March 14, 2011

bookstore I want your opinion today.

Last month most book lovers noted the bankruptcy filing by Borders, one of the nation’s largest book store chains. They closed about 200 stores, or 30% of their locations. We keep hearing that bookstores are heading in the same dismal direction as video rental stores or record stores.

Does It Matter?

Over the weekend I read a thought-provoking article called “The Marketplace of Ideas: Why Bookstores Matter.” It was one man’s answer to the very real possibility that physical bookstores may become a thing of the past with the advent of Amazon, e-readers, and deep discounted books at Wal-Mart.

After quoting several businessmen and business writers on the inevitable demise of the brick-and-mortar bookstores, he talked about why bookstores were critical to him as a reader and a writer–and to our communities.

The whole article is worth reading, but here are a few things he said:

Being in a bookstore helps me to think. I find that my mind makes connections between authors and books and ideas as I walk along the shelves and look at the tables. When I get a case of writer’s block, I head for a bookstore. The experience of walking among the books is curative.
Printed books are physical objects that cry out to be handled even before they are read. The physicality of the book is important to the experience of the book itself. The arrangement and order of the words is supreme, but the appearance of the book and the feel of the book in the hand are also part of the reading experience.
The loss of the bookstore will mean more than lost opportunities to sell books, however. For the last two centuries and more, bookstores and bookstalls have been centers for the dissemination of culture and ideas. Books are about ideas, and bookstores offer a rare context for meeting other people interested in ideas.

Your Opinion

Is there a “magic in bookstores” for you? How do you feel about bookstores, both the chains and local book shops that are more intimate? Was there a bookstore somewhere in your past that holds great memories for you?

If physical bookstores disappeared–as many are saying they will–what would that mean to you?

Please leave a comment.

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Posted in: book marketing,books,bookstores,Uncategorized | | Comments (14)

14 Comments »

Even though I like Amazon.com, it can’t entirely replace bookstores for me. I love the experience of browsing the shelves and talking to fellow book lovers. You never know what book or author you may discover. I definitely don’t want them to go the way of the dodo bird. I hope others feel the same way and we can keep bookstores going!

Comment by Vicki Spivey — March 14, 2011 @ 8:19 am
Hello,
It would be a very sad day to not be able to go to a book store. It is beyond just books: you can meet other people who share your enthusiasm for books, meet local authors, meet stories you weren’t looking for but found while looking for something else (usually misfiled I’ve been introduced to a number of authors this way). A bookstore is a meeting place not just a place for books.
Cheers

Comment by Ally M — March 14, 2011 @ 9:24 am
Bookstores are wonderful places. Personally, I buy from Barnes & Noble and also from Amazon, but I love to go into Barnes & Noble and simply browse and enjoy the bookstore atmosphere. I think bookstores might need to become more creative in how they turn their honest dollars, but I believe they will remain with us.

Comment by Beth Mac — March 14, 2011 @ 2:09 pm
I always feel a little bemused by bookstore-love stuff, not because I don’t agree with everything everyone says about it, but because that’s what I use LIBRARIES for. In fact I like libraries better than bookstores, because they have a broader variety of books– lots of out of print books, too– and often better quality books, since bookstores focus more on What Will Sell and so stock a lot of cheesy stuff (and toys and gifts) too. I definitely appreciate the browsing aspect of libraries. But I don’t buy books spur-of-the-moment (who has that kind of money?)– I already know the book I want when I’m going to buy, so it’s usually EASIER to do it online (unless I need it by tomorrow and it’s a popular enough title that I’m fairly sure your average bookstore will have it in stock). But at the same time, I love having bookstores THERE, in CASE I need them, or in case I’m out Shopping with people who actually like to go Shopping and I want something actually enjoyable to do at the mall (or something I can do while waiting for the movie at the attached cinema to start), or just BECAUSE.

But still, I always wonder, when people go on and on about online vs brick-and-mortar chain vs brick-and-mortar independent bookstore; hardcover vs paperback vs eBook; how they can’t stop buying books and have a huge TBR pile… do these people not ever wonder how LIBRARIES fit in? Do they not USE libraries? Puzzle puzzle puzzle.

Comment by rockinlibrarian — March 14, 2011 @ 3:39 pm
I like the feel of a book in my hand. I like to recline when I read. Everyone does not have a computer, and cannot read a book online. It’s fun to cuddle with a small child and read to him or her and let that one see the pictures and talk about it. We need bookstores, and we need hold-in-the-hand books. My husband is disabled, and studies in his easy chair. He couldn’t do that if there were no books to hold. A physical book can be picked up again and again. A book is a friend, and books on our shelves makes me feel at home.

Comment by Maxine Clark — March 14, 2011 @ 4:09 pm
I like the feel of a book in my hand. I like to recline when I read. Everyone does not have a computer, and cannot read a book online. It’s fun to cuddle with a small child and read to him or her and let that one see the pictures and talk about them. We need bookstores, and we need hold-in-the-hand books. My husband is disabled, and studies in his easy chair. He couldn’t do that if there were no books to hold. A physical book can be picked up again and again. A book is a friend, and books on our shelves makes me feel at home.

Comment by Maxine Clark — March 14, 2011 @ 4:11 pm
If bookstores were to disappear, it would mean no more browsing the aisles to take a peak at several different genres in one visit, no more sitting at one of the tables offered in my local bookstore to check out a particular book that caught my interest, and no more chatting with the employees about the recent books that have come out and those that will be released soon. Bookstores offer readers – and writers – a place to come together and discuss our passion.

Comment by Andrea B. — March 14, 2011 @ 7:24 pm
Bookstores are indeed magical. When I buy books online, it’s almost always those that I’ve already heard of. What about the sheer joy of going in and finding the perfect book that I never knew I was looking for?

Comment by Julie Hedlund — March 14, 2011 @ 9:42 pm
It would be sad for me if bookstores disappeared. I enjoy browsing through the rows of books. I also find my children get excited about reading when they get to look before choosing a book. Then we go home with our new treasures and places to go in the safty of our home, and then my children start talking aobut our family memory of “when we went to the bookstore and…” and “when we bought this book remember…” and “remember mom, I thought about getting that other book and…” That would make me sad if we lost those things to talk about. Keep the bookstores alive! Love Samantha

Comment by Samantha L — March 15, 2011 @ 2:34 pm
Bookstores are a necessity in our lives. Walking among the shelves filled with books gives me a feeling of community. I enjoy reading a book, holding it in my hands as a book, not an electronic device to download books to.

Comment by Joyce — March 16, 2011 @ 9:19 am
I would be lost without bookstores!

I recently got an eReader (Christmas gift from my Dad), and people constantly ask me how I like it. I have to tell them I haven’t used it much. Then they look at me like I’m crazy, and ask why not? And, I have to say that I just prefer my real books — the paper kind. Then they ask why on earth I asked for an eReader for Christmas if I wasn’t going to use it, and my response is that I only wanted it for when I travel — to make it more convenient (usually have to take 4-5 books with me, so that I have variety, which then gets to be heavy & cumbersome… eReaders solve that problem, as I can now take up to 1000 books with me without issue! LOL).

Anyway. I even prefer small, independent bookstores over the chain stores. The atmosphere in them, and the possibility of finding that rare, unheard-of book is always there, not to mention I love chatting with the owners/clerks. I hope to work in a store like that some day.

But we don’t have many of those types of bookstores around here. Best I get is a Chapters (chain) store. But, that definitely suffices… I will never complain, as I LOVE going in there when I get a chance (which also is rare, as it’s an hour away). When I do go, I love knowing that I’m surrounded by people with a similar passion for reading & books… I love starting up conversations with complete strangers, and then feeling like we have a common bond — our love of books. And, I love browsing the shelves, touching the books, and just the overall atmosphere.

But, as another commenter said, I love my local library too! I’m there several times a week, picking up books. I use their online system, most of the time, to order in books. But every now & then, I just have to go in there and browse… again, it’s the atmosphere, and the ability to touch the books… take them off the shelves and open them, and just enjoy the whole physical experience.

Overall (sorry this is so long, but you asked, and I’m a HUGE bookworm!), I pray that bookstores & such won’t close down entirely… SO MUCH would be lost!

~MizB

Comment by MizB — March 17, 2011 @ 6:21 am
Everyone, this has been a hectic week (gone a lot), so I’ve barely had time to post comments. But THANK YOU all for responding. You touched my heart and soul for bookstores! (And yes, libraries too, but with bookstores I can walk out with a special find that I now OWN forever!)

Making memories, finding community…yes! So true!

Comment by Kristi Holl — March 18, 2011 @ 8:35 am
I agree with Mike that it will be vastly different..But do I think physical bookstores will go the way of dinosaurs? Same for bookstores..Obviously I have a vested interest in making sure the publishing ecosystem remains vibrant.

Comment by Carabini — March 28, 2011 @ 2:03 pm
I do believe that, in time, book stores may fade out a bit, mostly because of the internet, but also because of the economy. I personally love to walk into Barnes & Nobles, you get that fresh brewed coffee smell, coupled with that new book smell, it’s great, even if I do hate the taste of coffee. I’m sure that most books will be available on-line and the popular book stores will fade away and will leave behind those smaller book stores with less popular names. Not everyone likes to order things off line so much as to be able to walk down to the store and have it waiting on them.

Comment by Jack Wychk — March 28, 2011 @ 4:59 pm