Barnes and Noble

youngster · August 2011

Just came back from my local store and noticed something....the all out ad blitz for these E-readers or Nooks. I walked through the front door and was faced with 3 floor to ceiling banners advertising these with 3 or 4 models set up for display purposes. Kind of struck me as odd because if this thing catches on in the future it will no doubt be the end of bookstores. Borders is already gone and some libraries have started to close in my area because of lack of interest/funding. Same thing that happened to Blockbuster once OnDemand caught on and people didn't have to go to a store to rent a movie. I just think it's kind of scary if books one day go out of print permanantly in exchange for downloaded literature.

Dissidentman · August 2011

youngster wrote:

Just came back from my local store and noticed something....the all out ad blitz for these E-readers or Nooks. I walked through the front door and was faced with 3 floor to ceiling banners advertising these with 3 or 4 models set up for display purposes. Kind of struck me as odd because if this thing catches on in the future it will no doubt be the end of bookstores. Borders is already gone and some libraries have started to close in my area because of lack of interest/funding. Same thing that happened to Blockbuster once OnDemand caught on and people didn't have to go to a store to rent a movie. I just think it's kind of scary if books one day go out of print permanantly in exchange for downloaded literature.

Look what the internet did to the good old fashioned dirty mag.

81 · August 2011

they almost always have somebody selling them at the display just inside the one i frequent.

Dissidentman · August 2011

81 wrote:

they almost always have somebody selling them at the display just inside the one i frequent.

Dirty magazines?

81 · August 2011

Dissidentman wrote:

81 wrote:

they almost always have somebody selling them at the display just inside the one i frequent.

Dirty magazines?

yes.

youngster · August 2011

Dissidentman wrote:

youngster wrote:

Just came back from my local store and noticed something....the all out ad blitz for these E-readers or Nooks. I walked through the front door and was faced with 3 floor to ceiling banners advertising these with 3 or 4 models set up for display purposes. Kind of struck me as odd because if this thing catches on in the future it will no doubt be the end of bookstores. Borders is already gone and some libraries have started to close in my area because of lack of interest/funding. Same thing that happened to Blockbuster once OnDemand caught on and people didn't have to go to a store to rent a movie. I just think it's kind of scary if books one day go out of print permanantly in exchange for downloaded literature.

Look what the internet did to the good old fashioned dirty mag.

Ah yes, the good ole dirty mag. I remember those fondly circa 1992. Well, some technological advances do work out for the better.

Newch91 · August 2011

I hate going there and having people ask me if I want to buy one. I just want printed books. Not digital books.

LukinFan · August 2011

Newch91 wrote:

I hate going there and having people ask me if I want to buy one. I just want printed books. Not digital books.

+1

capthowdy1027 · August 2011

There are already rumors going around that Apple might be purchasing B&N so I'm guessing their not doing too well right now. The Nook eReader may be the only thing that's really keeping them going.

youngster · August 2011

Newch91 wrote:

I hate going there and having people ask me if I want to buy one. I just want printed books. Not digital books.

Exactly. Books in print will never fail. Anything electronic or downloadable can break or not work at times. I guess I'm just old fashioned when it comes to some things.

Newch91 · August 2011

youngster wrote:

Newch91 wrote:

I hate going there and having people ask me if I want to buy one. I just want printed books. Not digital books.

Exactly. Books in print will never fail. Anything electronic or downloadable can break or not work at times. I guess I'm just old fashioned when it comes to some things.

Same here. Plus, you can probably hurt your eyes if you're looking at the electronic version for a long time. Printed books have that smell that you can't experience with an electronic one.

decides2dream · August 2011

i LOVE books...i hope they always are made.
who knows tho?

however, while newspapers are faltering, supposedly magazines are still overal thriving, so while some bookstores may suffer and fold, hopefully enough will be able to flourish. i love visiting the bookstore.

justam · August 2011

I love real books. I love going to the library or a book stores and looking at a lot of books and choosing them after I've looked through them.

I hope real books don't disappear. I find them more pleasant to read than digital pages.

On a side note, I find real maps a lot easier to read than these small segments of maps on an iphone with a blue dot... I like seeing the whole thing!!

GivenToLukinKP · August 2011

Newch91 wrote:

youngster wrote:

Newch91 wrote:

I hate going there and having people ask me if I want to buy one. I just want printed books. Not digital books.

Exactly. Books in print will never fail. Anything electronic or downloadable can break or not work at times. I guess I'm just old fashioned when it comes to some things.

Same here. Plus, you can probably hurt your eyes if you're looking at the electronic version for a long time. Printed books have that smell that you can't experience with an electronic one.

I bought a nook when they first came out....I havent turned the thing on in over a year. Its not because I didnt like the convenience, it didn't hurt my eyes (someone above mentioned that, but its not like a comuter screen--its very much like looking at a page in a book...hard to describe until you see it but its not bright lights like you would get if you used say the nook app on an iPad or something like that). I simply missed feeling a book in my hand. Plus, some books just aren't logical for electronic format....when you can't skip ahead quickly or go back to reference something from earlier in the book, its hard to deal. I know you can bookmark stuff, but its sort of cumbersome (at least on the first edition nook that I have) and sometimes you dont realize you are going to want to flip back 50 pages to read something again.

The only thing I can think of that is a plus is that when new books come out and you dont want to wait for the paperback edition, you can still download it and read instead of lugging around a big hard cover copy (this is important to me since I am a train commuter and that's when I read most)

Books have a certain feel to them that can't be surpassed by an e-reader. And they're pretty to look at

failedpersephone · August 2011

It would be a shame to lose Barnes & Noble, since they actually have a publishing division for out of print books.

Additionally, libraries are losing funding, and are also getting their licensing use for ebooks cut. It makes the availability of information harder to come by for the working class.

A great way to help libraries, is by using them. Get a card for your local library, most libraries use their patron numbers when they apply for grant and support funding. Unlike, apple, nook, and kindle; libraries also are rigorously protecting our privacy. They do not sell, distribute, or allow government agencies to view your library usage history. If you have books that you would like to see get a second life, consider donating them to your local, small community library.

Ms. Haiku · August 2011

I hope this means a resurgence of the independent bookstore. I read that Borders closed because of bad management, and B&N didn't plan something right, I forget what. It gives me hope that print books are still viable. People will always need someplace to go and read and *meet*. That is what's great about bookstores. They are social.

I don't have an e-reader, but public transportation may make me buy one in a few years. They are lighter than real books.

I read that e-books pose the biggest threat to hardcover books which is why paperbacks are starting to come out earlier. Usually, paperbacks are published a year after the hardcover is published. I used to work in bookstores, and I remember in 2003 Michael Moore's Stupid White Men was in hardcover a long time It totally surprised me given what I thought was a hard and fast rule of publishing. In fact, even though some books are moving to paperback earlier, some hardcover books are starting to remain on the market longer to suck out as many hardcover sales as possible. The Help is an example. It's really interesting how this is affecting the publishing market.

I agree, the industry that has to lead the way in innovative responses to the e-book is the library industry. I would love to support my libraries more as I plan to be a librarian. Unfortunately, one carries hardcover books mostly which are too heavy for reading on the metro. When I walk to the other one in the evening the sidewalks aren't lit well enough, and I don't know where I'm going. They have some paperback, though.

I don't know who the main competitors to independent bookstores are - is it B&N and BooksAMillion, is it internet stores, or e-readers, should it be libraries (in today's market), but isn't. Is the playing field leveling or is it still tilted a certain way. I remember a B&N opened up right next to an independent near the University of Washington in Seattle in the 90s. That store went under so quickly. I still hear of independents closing, though. I'm not sure who is in the best place besides e-books. Really interested to see what will happen in a few years.

iamica · August 2011

Unfortunately, the world is starting to go paperless...I take public transportation to work and all I see now are people reading e-books, it's going to become the norm in the next 20 years I'm sure. It's sad because I like reading printed books. :(

Newch91 · August 2011

iamica wrote:

Unfortunately, the world is starting to go paperless...I take public transportation to work and all I see now are people reading e-books, it's going to become the norm in the next 20 years I'm sure. It's sad because I like reading printed books. :(

It looks like we'll have to stock up on printed books.

peacegirl · August 2011

I love books, bookstores, the library...always have

It will be a sad day if they stop printing books and go entirely electronic

JaneNY · August 2011

Content is more important to me than the delivery system, honestly. I haven't bought a lot of digital books yet, but lately when I do buy it seems to be e-. I have the kindle app on my iphone and mac but haven't bought a real kindle, and don't know that I will. We have a small house, and any way to save space is good. Cookbooks on paper are better though.

Mamasan23 · August 2011

There's just something about cracking open a brand spanking new book. And something even more special about a worn down but well loved old paperback that's been read a hundred times. Nope, an e-reader is not for this girl. I also find it very strange that they would be promoting the very thing that is going to put them out of business!

musicismylife78 · August 2011

i was under the impression book stores like borders and barnes and noble are failing more because of the internet in general, than because of people buying kindles and digital books. i dont think when people want a book or a cd or a DVD or whatnot, they dont usually drive to the B and N or borders to buy it. they order it online, off amazon or something. i in general, when i want to buy something, i almost always buy online. i dont think thats abnormal. I think thats the more reasonable answer as opposed to the idea that masses of people are buying kindles and are spending their "book" money on digital books. at this point the e-book thing is still a niche. it may explode but i dont think it is the reason these companies failed.

mikalina · August 2011

I Love, Love books - and the bookstore is my favorite place to hang out for awhile and just relax.

I'm very sad that all the - Borders Bookstores are closing down ... all over the U.S. ... :(

over 10,000 people will be without jobs.

The only other bookstore near me is - Barnes and Noble - I can only hope they will not close down.

musicismylife78 · August 2011

Ms. Haiku wrote:

I hope this means a resurgence of the independent bookstore. I read that Borders closed because of bad management, and B&N didn't plan something right, I forget what. It gives me hope that print books are still viable. People will always need someplace to go and read and *meet*. That is what's great about bookstores. They are social.

I don't have an e-reader, but public transportation may make me buy one in a few years. They are lighter than real books.

I read that e-books pose the biggest threat to hardcover books which is why paperbacks are starting to come out earlier. Usually, paperbacks are published a year after the hardcover is published. I used to work in bookstores, and I remember in 2003 Michael Moore's Stupid White Men was in hardcover a long time It totally surprised me given what I thought was a hard and fast rule of publishing. In fact, even though some books are moving to paperback earlier, some hardcover books are starting to remain on the market longer to suck out as many hardcover sales as possible. The Help is an example. It's really interesting how this is affecting the publishing market.

I agree, the industry that has to lead the way in innovative responses to the e-book is the library industry. I would love to support my libraries more as I plan to be a librarian. Unfortunately, one carries hardcover books mostly which are too heavy for reading on the metro. When I walk to the other one in the evening the sidewalks aren't lit well enough, and I don't know where I'm going. They have some paperback, though.

I don't know who the main competitors to independent bookstores are - is it B&N and BooksAMillion, is it internet stores, or e-readers, should it be libraries (in today's market), but isn't. Is the playing field leveling or is it still tilted a certain way. I remember a B&N opened up right next to an independent near the University of Washington in Seattle in the 90s. That store went under so quickly. I still hear of independents closing, though. I'm not sure who is in the best place besides e-books. Really interested to see what will happen in a few years.

doubt it. just as their will always be a store selling physical cd's, there will always stores selling physical books. but that doesnt mean that indie booksellers will be thriving. as i said before, when i want to purchase an item, dvd, book, clothes, whatever, i nearly always buy online as opposed to visiting the actual store location. its just easier. i think the threads emphasis on the importance of e-books and kindles is greatly exaggerated. ultimately, whatever medium you talk about, books, films, music, you find that most people nowadays prefer to either buy it online via amazon or something or steal it online.

intodeep · August 2011

I want an ereader something fierce but they have not made what i want yet.

I want to have my books and my "picture books" on the same item. That is i am a dork and read graphic novels and i'm not buying an ereader until i can have them on both.

Yes an ipad can do this but i don't want to spend 5-700 dollars on it when i only really want an ereader. I have a great smart phone and a laptop already.

The nook is close but they have a crap selection. I want to be able to get my favs like sandman, preacher, y the last man, fables and others all on there as wel as my books i buy.

Sooner or later someone will go you know we need to maek an ereader that will make intodeep happy

Ms. Haiku · August 2011

I don't see the end of Borders as having as big an impact on internet sales as on other physical bookstores including B&N and independents. I don't buy books off the internet, and even though 3 Borders near me have shut down, I won't start. Luckily, I live in an area that values at least some physical bookstores, and at least some libraries.

I look at my bookshelves, and I think - Remember the places I visited! Remember the people I met! It's better than looking at a photo album.

Barnes and Noble

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