The recent news that Barnes & Noble is tinkering with their Nook business and may spin it off from its core bookstore business is like deja vue all over again. They aren't Netflix, of course, but boy it does sound a lot like the potential to deflate what little bookstore business their doing now is growing tangible.
I say little because each time I walk into my local B&N its core bookstore business appears smaller than before. Sure, you've got Starbucks (love the Starbucks), and you've got the usual top of the heap of what's selling in print; but missing are the carousels of books because they've been replaced with carousels of googaws, cutesies, games, and touchy-feely items that didn't bring me into the store in the first place. Okay, yes, the Starbucks did–guilty–but I still like to walk around with my coffee to peruse the shelves, especially the horror and movie sections. That is, until the bookshelves started disappearing, taking all those potentially perusable books with them.
I'll be frank. I buy a lot of books on Amazon. Do I go into a bookstore to look at a book then buy it cheaper on Amazon? No. Yes. Well, maybe. If the book's a lot cheaper and I'm not in a rush, sure. If the book's only a little cheaper, I'll buy it from the bookstore. And there have been times when I just couldn't wait after perusing the book and had to have it then and there. My point is I find browsing books at a bookstore a heck of a lot more fun than trying to browse for books online, and I'll pay more for the convenience and the empowerment it gives. Many times I've gone over to the movie section and found books I'd never have thought of searching for. Sold! Other times B&N forced me to get a book on Amazon because they didn't carry it in that store's stock, but they could order it for me. Shoot, I can order it online, myself. Amazon Prime, baby! These days I've been spending much more time at a bookstore in Huntington called Book Revue. Loads of used-books, great prices, and a boffo movie section. And they've got a cafe, too. Sweet.
I wonder when B&N will be run by booklovers again?
Right now the heart of my B&N store is taken up by the Nook, its accessories, its antecedents, and its ne'er do well digital cousins. I like the Nook. I like Kindle. I like ebooks, mostly. But electronics sales belong in Best Buy, Target, and a heck of a lot of other places more suitable. Sure, a sales counter for Nooks is fine; devoting a huge portion of the bookstore to push digital readers isn't. Where are the damn books? And I don't mean the best-sellers, the pampering twaddle of self-help, feel-good, look-good pablum piled high on the discount tables. There are enough of those. I mean the treasures to be found in horror, science fiction, and fantasy books, the non-fiction books, the books that don't fit easily into the ludicrous categories that have sprung up to legitamize and commercialize nonsense.
Oh, wait, those shelves aren't there anymore. Tic-Tac-Toe in wood, anyone?
What I'd rather see– I'm sure many print book readers would agree with me–is more books TO SEE. Borders started acting like my local Stop and Shop, cramming every non-book fluff item to boost sales, and it led them slowly out the door. I'm afraid B&N's strategy is leading them out that same door. Once they dissociate from the Nook, what's left? More shelves full of games and toys and puzzles? Or more books?
I'm holding my breadth to find out.
Great post. I have noticed the same thing in the store by me, and remember the same thing happening at the Borders by me before it closed. These stores should no longer be allowed to carry the word BOOK in them because that is not what they are. Most of my shopping for books now happens on Amazon, unless of course I’m waiting for a new release and want it right away. The selection of used horror novels is very impressive. Never before had I realized just how much was out there until I started browsing.
It’s sad to see it happening. I spent a lot of weekends heading to the main B&N in NYC to browse for hours. The Strand was also a key destination for me, mostly because of the used books they offered. These days my fingers do the browsing on Amazon. Now if they can find a way to combine the bookstore experience with the volume of publications, and variable pricing, you see on Amazon, I’d be pretty happy. Print on demand could be a great feature at the store level. As long as the price is right and the quality is good enough. Making digital downloads available at the store would be a feature I’d love to see, too, as long as they’re cheap enough. Digital books priced like a printed one are a turn off.