tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130421352415377273.post2534470915924552669..comments2024-03-26T03:46:04.937-07:00Comments on Books in Northport: I Am Not a LudditeP. J. Grathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12693462910472164289noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130421352415377273.post-71918002274423956942011-01-05T08:46:25.753-08:002011-01-05T08:46:25.753-08:00Hi, Darcy. I am interested in what you have to say...Hi, Darcy. I am interested in what you have to say but am not having much success getting to it this morning from my slow dialup connection. Will try again tomorrow when I can get to a high speed connection.P. J. Grathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12693462910472164289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130421352415377273.post-71312441637245090612011-01-04T19:51:12.084-08:002011-01-04T19:51:12.084-08:00Hi there! I read this post from a link posted on ...Hi there! I read this post from a link posted on my bookstore's intranet, and a few days before I read it, I had just posted something on my blog called "I am not a sellout!" in defense of getting a Kindle!!! <br />It was written independently of reading your post, so nothing in it refers to you, but I thought it was funny to see a link to your article so soon after I wrote mine! Check it out if you are interested!<br />www.myfoodisproblematic.comDarcyhttp://www.myfoodisproblematic.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130421352415377273.post-11371250742885765722010-12-18T15:49:34.200-08:002010-12-18T15:49:34.200-08:00I've had another thought in response to Greg&#...I've had another thought in response to Greg's concern. It seems to me that the huge mountains of a single title you sometimes see in new bookstores are usually books by already best-selling authors published by big publishing houses. These books usually have a lot of advance attention, and the demand for them precedes their availability. Big risk to the publisher? Well, sometimes they overprint and have to remainder and/or pulp, but wouldn't it be better if they started with a smaller first printing?P. J. Grathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12693462910472164289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130421352415377273.post-8797601720198075262010-12-16T12:21:05.855-08:002010-12-16T12:21:05.855-08:00Hi, Greg. Thanks for stopping by Books in Northpor...Hi, Greg. Thanks for stopping by Books in Northport.<br /><br />I am sympathetic to the issue you bring up, but in my considered opinion the risk is far greater to the publisher with a returns policy. I am a very small bookseller, carrying only a very select offering of new books, but when I find a book I believe in and want to promote, I go all out for it. This means blogging, reviewing and handselling, not just piling up a mountain by the door. It's true, I may only order two copies at a time until the demand is such that I can order half a dozen or a dozen at once, but I DO NOT RETURN BOOKS, unless they are damaged or unless a customer requested something and what we got didn't fit the bill. <br /><br />Huge stores, on the other hand, can and do put in huge orders--and then, often, they return books to the distributor, who returns them to the publisher, who ends up never getting paid for books printed and "sold" and shipped out. No, I think it's a very wasteful system and encourages waste.<br /><br />As for your concern, I have many writer friends, and I do want to see good books find an audience. That's part of my life's work. I would simply like to see publishing and bookselling be sustainable activities, not wasteful, risky and dependent on outdated systems and methods.P. J. Grathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12693462910472164289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130421352415377273.post-18894499883064150302010-12-16T12:11:53.603-08:002010-12-16T12:11:53.603-08:00I have one issue with the lack of returns that you...I have one issue with the lack of returns that you suggest: risk. As a smaller bookstore it is hard to take the appropriate risk on titles that are of interest, on sale, or a new release. <br /><br />This risk helps the publisher because a full display that is promoted is much more likely to sell that the 1 or 2 books that would be order so a bookseller is not stuck with books that didn't sell...Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06961723158764950797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130421352415377273.post-17367151099632552062010-12-15T13:14:20.169-08:002010-12-15T13:14:20.169-08:00There are many issues involved in this debate, and...There are many issues involved in this debate, and I realize I have only touched superficially on one of them, but I do take it seriously. I have a laptop but no other fancy electronics. My former laptop lasted four years. Multiply number of devices, divide by working life--well, the jury's still out on this, I believe, as well as other aspects of reading on screens. Here's an interesting look at what the experts say and how people comment on what the experts say when it comes to books and brains:<br />http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/14/does-the-brain-like-e-books/<br /><br />Thanks for your comment, Mike.P. J. Grathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12693462910472164289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130421352415377273.post-34425157555271684692010-12-15T05:43:07.789-08:002010-12-15T05:43:07.789-08:00I'm afraid it's a weak rationalization. I ...I'm afraid it's a weak rationalization. I read ebooks on devices I already have for another purpose: in my case primarily an iPhone but also, sometimes, on an iPad. It isn't necessary to use a dedicated device to deliver the consumer benefits -- and environmental benefits -- of ebooks.<br /><br />Mike ShatzkinMike Shatzkinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130421352415377273.post-31376582782993414352010-12-09T14:01:59.213-08:002010-12-09T14:01:59.213-08:00We are story-telling animals, that's for sure....We are story-telling animals, that's for sure. As for what the future of our story-telling will be, that's hard to say at this juncture. You notice I haven't taken a stand against blogging--but I don't "mobile" blog, either. When I go for a walk, I go for a walk.P. J. Grathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12693462910472164289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130421352415377273.post-90115486269685173922010-12-09T10:47:50.352-08:002010-12-09T10:47:50.352-08:00I figured, when I saw McLean & Eakin's Goo...I figured, when I saw McLean & Eakin's Google e-Books release, that you'd have some interesting thoughts on the subject. I'm ambivalent. I like to hold books. I like to wander around in bookstores to find books. (Someday somebody is going to devise a Wandering Around App for the iPad.) I like to photocopy bits from books for research projects. I like bookstores and libraries. But I like stories, too, and I suspect that very soon now they will be accessible mainly on gadgets fated to become toxic waste.Gerryhttp://torchlakeviews.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.com