Thoughts on Bookselling
Clay Shirky (Here Comes Everybody) posts an interesting take on the future of bookselling:
Got that? Lower prices will lead to higher prices, and cheap books threaten to reduce the range of ideas in circulation. And don’t just take the ABA’s word for it. They also quote John Grisham’s agent and the owner of a book store, who both agree that cheap books are a horrible no-good very bad thing. So bad, in fact, that the Department of Justice must get involved, to shield the public from the scourge of affordable reading.
Cory Doctorow (Makers) responds with some “half-formed thoughts”:
I think that Clay’s probably right that the most traditionally profitable sector of bookselling — mass-produced bestsellers — is going to keep on migrating onto the web (that’s where I get most of my mass-produced bestsellers, certainly). But I also think that there’s something to be said for physical street-level stores de-emphasizing those products in favor of the simultaneous pursuit of the top- and bottom-end of the markets.
December 1, 2009 9:45 am 1 Comment
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The Future of the Bookstore « Are You Happy Now, Norman Mailer? — December 4, 2009 @ 11:13 am
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