If you’ve never seen it before, it’s worth interacting with: Publishers Weekly’s Bookselling Mapped
PW’s Bookselling Mapped
February 13, 2012
Destination: books (and wine)
January 24, 2012
Northern Michigan’s Traverse City has long been known for its wineries, but now the vacation hot spot is making a name for itself nationally in something else: books.
The local Borders may have closed, but we’re betting book lovers in that region didn’t bat an eye. If you’re ever in the area, take a day to check out the full-service bookstores in downtown Traverse City: Horizon Books, Brilliant Books, and Books-A-Million. Wandering through town, you’ll find other niche and used bookstores, too.
Also based in Traverse City is literary nonprofit organization National Writers Series, which is pushing local government to brand Traverse City as a “book city.” The move would not only officially recognize the impact books have on the region’s economy, but also ideally draw in more book tourists (who may or may not have a penchant for wine).
For a glimpse from your own couch, check out the National Writers Series, Horizon Books, or The Bookie Joint.
Supporting indie bookstores with e-readers
January 12, 2012
It’s hard to resist the pull to e-readers, which are getting cheaper and more functional by the minute. These new devices allow bookworms to carry around as many titles as they want, without risking that pesky back strain associated with lugging a twenty-pound bag.
But…
How does the poor soul who prides himself on buying books at his local, independent book store reconcile the use of his shiny new toy? How will that independent bookstore ever survive if everyone’s buying ebooks online?
Well, the American Booksellers Association has found a way to fight back. They’ve launched an ebook reading application that allows customers to purchase ebooks from their local, independent bookstores’ websites. Customers can purchase and read Google eBooks on any Android device, and they are able to read them later on their computer and many e-readers.
To check it out for yourself, search the Android market for IndieBound Reader. Then hit up the indie bookstores selling Google eBooks.
The best part about this app is that it allows readers to support independent bookstores anywhere, even if they live in an area that no longer has any.
Shifting book sales
November 30, 2011
Barnes & Noble has an exciting future ahead as they expect to see a rise in e-book sales from $250 million in 2010 to over $2 billion in 2015. Unfortunately for Borders, Barnes & Noble also expects the closure of Borders to boost store sales between $300 million and $400 million annually. Kinda’ stinks that it had to work out that way, but who knows, maybe Borders will come up with an e-book company that puts B&N out of business. Oh, the irony…