Google to the rescue?

I'm not going to lie. It's hard out here for a bookseller.

(Used to be that I would have specified "independent" booksellers but that's no longer the case. Borders is in trouble; Barnes & Noble might resuscitate themselves with the Nook, but they could easily lose the war to Google and Amazon.)

First, it was the corporation bookstores like the aforementioned. Then, online selling began to eat into everyone's profits. Finally, e-books seemed to threaten our very existence.

Today, I learned the amazing fact that Google is making deals with independent bookstores to sell e-books in brick-and-mortar stores.

This is a watershed moment. Though e-books are not my cup of tea, I recognize their incredible usefulness, especially to lighten students' textbook loads. They are here to stay. However, I've also been hearing from customers, friends, and family that they will mourn the day when actual bookstores close. Now, it seems, bookstores may survive digitization in a way that music stores, for the most part, have not.

Who knows why Google has decided to support bookstores? Perhaps it is a PR move or perhaps someone in the company leadership is one of those who do not want us to disappear.

I will be contacting them in the morning to see if it's feasible and practical for us to sign up for this program. I'll let you know what happens. E-books may come to Babbo's Books!


An article about it.

A sign that bookstores are still in our future!

The Espresso Book Machine has access to hundreds of thousands of books, both those in the public domain and off of Google.

If I got one for Babbo's, I could print book requests right here in the store in under 15 minutes.
It's a thought.
The link to the story is right here.

Another one bites the dust...or goes multi-national.

I guess it depends on your point of view.

Abebooks.com, one of the largest book selling sites recently got acquired by Amazon. Now, I am not opposed to online selling, even though it probably is the biggest reason independent bookstores have been going under. I sell on Alibris.com, because it is the easiest way for an indie to stay afloat, even thrive.

I used to order exclusively from Abebooks and Alibris, though, because unlike Amazon these two sites specialized in rare books. Now that Abebooks is essentially Amazon, I will order used books exclusively from Alibris.com, at least until another indie seller pops up. But that begs the question, are independent online sellers even independent anymore?

Alibris also lists their books on other, more popular sites like B&N, Borders, and Half.com. I have certainly benefited from this union, selling twice as many books online as usual. So, is there a difference between Alibris working with Half.com and Abebooks being bought by Amazon?

I long ago rationalized selling online. At least the money coming in is going to an independent bookstore, mine. Can I rationalize my books appearing on a huge website like Half.com? On the one hand, I'm thrilled to be selling so many. On the other, I feel I'm no different from the millions who support Amazon that drive small bookstores out of business.

However, people who buy my books through B&N and Half.com are still supporting an indie store as opposed to the huge corporations.

My old business teacher taught that the most important quality for a thriving business is flexibility. The book business is not the same as it was 20 or even 10 years ago. In order for us to survive as independents, we need to expand into new markets. Alibris needs to build coalitions with B&N. I need to sell books online.

However, we do not have to sell out completely. We don't need to give our money to Amazon and Abebooks. We can keep funneling money to the independent sellers, whether online or at the brick-and-mortars. And, in that way, keep a big part of the book culture that we love alive.