My community is losing a bookstore, one that has supported me with great signings and staff that promoted the books year-round and provided dozens of Christmas and birthday gifts to friends and family.
The loss of yet another bookstore isn’t news to booklovers, especially authors. Nearly everyone has personally witnessed or heard about the wide-scale closing of independent booksellers across the country in the last five years. What makes my store a little different is that it is part of a national chain in a mall in a university community.
There are several factors at work in the demise of our local B. Dalton Bookstore (a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble). Malls, once thought of as the scourge of downtowns everywhere, are now dying an agonizingly slow death themselves. Our local mall is two-thirds empty of stores and entirely empty of people. Meanwhile the parking lot at the local Wal-Mart is packed with vehicles bearing university parking stickers (we’re talking faculty and staff, not students, people who are supposed to be intellectually curious and knowledgeable about the need to support community-oriented businesses).
Too often, when I ask co-workers and local fans where they buy books, the answer is not a bookstore. Many of them with the means don’t even buy books. They hit the local library or buy only used books. The reasons for avoiding the local bookstore range from it being too inconvenient (as opposed to clicking a few buttons on the computer) to new books not being worth the cost. Mind you, these answers are coming from people who generally have upper middle class incomes.
This isn’t a diatribe against Wal-Mart or Amazon. Good for them for understanding the mindset of the American consumer. I am disappointed in the consumer, though, and I’m fearful that good books will get harder to find and, therefore, harder to get published because of that mindset. As a regionally-published author, it’s difficult to get the attention of readers. The Internet is still not a truly effective means of promotion. Rather, I rely on word of mouth from fans and bookstore staff to point potential readers to my books, which appeal to mystery lovers interested in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It’s important to have bookstores around so people can browse the sections, pick up my book, read a page or two and decide to buy it. You can’t browse on Amazon, at least not as effectively.
Then again, there are fewer people browsing. I’m part of a dying breed of people who spend hours strolling between shelves of books, reveling in the smell, texture and font of various selections. Unfortunately, our society is focused on efficiency, cramming as much activity into one minute as possible for the least amount of money. For book buyers, that means purchasing used books on Amazon. The problem is that good books proliferate only when there is a market for new books. Buying a new book means that author gets paid a royalty, that publisher recoups its investment and that bookstore earns a profit to keep the lights on for another day.
Buying used books once in a while is fine, but when the market supports “used” more than “new,” eventually the “new” will disappear.
Re: Death of a Bookstore
I, too, hate the loss of another bookstore! I am one who loves to hold and look at a book before buying it, and will spend hours in a bookstore. But I do often have to buy books online--from Amazon or Barnes & Noble--because I live in a small town (in North Carolina) with few options. There are two independent bookstores in town and one of them I just plain don't go into anymore. I have tried on several occasions, but have NEVER found anything I wanted there. The other, newer, one isn't too bad, but doesn't carry a very good selection of the mysteries I most prefer. I feel sure they would order for me if I asked for something specific, but I like to browse and try to discover new books/authors as well. And, since it is about 30 miles to the nearest large bookstore--Barnes and Noble and also a Books-a-Million--I find myself often ordering from B&N or Amazon online, since I just don't get over there very much. I buy used books from Amazon if looking for some specific older book that can't be found new, but otherwise, I buy new. I, however, have had to stop buying as many books anyway, since I only work part-time and have to buy my own health insurance--which goes up every year, even though my income doesn't. But don't let me get started on THAT!
I am reading Page One: Hit and Run right now and loving it. I ordered both it and Vanished from Amazon. How, you may ask, did I--in North Carolina--find these books of yours? Well, I was ready to tell the story of hearing about them from a friend on an online reading group. And then, I read beyond your post. And found myself laughing as I read the story of how I heard about your books. Yes, the friend Wendy speaks of there is me! And, like her, I look forward to the next installment in Robin Hamilton's story as well!
Carol in Western North Carolina
Re: Death of a Bookstore
Very sad to hear of the bookstore. I am like you and love spending time in bookstores. It stimulates all my senses ... the smell of the books, the feel of the covers, pages etc, the bright colors of books as well as interesting covers etc, the sounds of people picking up & putting down books, discussing authors, as for taste ..... well, when I find books that 'call to me' I almost salivate.... LOL I understand your concern of people only buying used. This is something that came to my mind a few years ago as I wondered how I could support authors AND afford to read as much as I do. My solution is to buy new books of a few favorite authors as well as Michigan authors and dog mystery authors. I am a Michigander and I really try to support authors of my home state. This is how I found your books. :o) While on vacation I stopped at a bookstore in Mackinaw and one on Drummond Island and I was thrilled to find so many Michigan authors in the two stores. I think I bought at least twenty books by Mi authors on that trip. And what wonderful stories I have read. I loved "Page One: Hit and Run" and am now reading "Page One: Vanished". I belong to a couple local book clubs as well as several online book groups. Last week I was telling a group about your books and one gal was especially interested because she used to be a reporter/editor (and because Robin spends a lot of time with Belle.... LOL .... my friend is also one who loves dogs in books). Kinda got off the subject there .... :o) .... anyway I wanted to share my thoughts with you and how I found balance in supporting authors and being able to afford to read so much. The books that I don't buy new I will buy used or get from the library. Most of the people I know do buy new books. Not always as they are prolific readers like I am but they will buy new til they HAVE to put themselves on a new book buying ban because of finances. LOL Of course, belonging to book groups causes us to purchase more books because we are always bragging up one new author or another & others have to run out and get the book. LOL
Thank you for the many hours of enjoyment you are providing me with your books. Looking forward to the 3rd Robin Hamilton mystery!
Wendy
from Northern, lower Michigan