7 Survival Secrets For Independent Bookstores

GalleyCat:

At the Los Angeles Festival of Books, some of the best booksellers on the West Coast shared strategies that helped them survive during these challenging times for local bookstores. Below, we’ve collected seven tips from these innovative booksellers.

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Comments

[thomas gladysz]

07:17 AM on 05/03/2011

As a longtime employee of independent bookstores, I think independent bookstores are at a tipping point in regards to their future. With the migration of the book from printed to digital form, the consumer is making an end run around brick-and-mortar retail establishments. Bookstores - both independent and chain stores - inhabit a position once occupied by record shops and video rental stores. I fear most bookstores open today won't be in five or ten years.

To survive, real world bookstores need to EMBRACE new technologies and new media (especially social media). Publishers understand this. That's why today, many publishers have a person who oversees their social media efforts. Is there any independent bookstore out there which has a director of social media? Bookstores also need to "socialize" the book experience - meaning create real world in-store experiences (author events, book signings, discussion groups, classes, etc....) which can't be mimicked online. Some stores already do this, and some do it successfully so that a large percentage of their book sales come through such events. And thirdly, to implement the above mentioned concepts, independent bookstores need to stop the brain-drain: many experienced booksellers are leaving or have left the industry for better paying jobs elsewhere. Concurrently, bookstores also need to attract bright young readers who understand the technological dynamics of our cultural marketplace. For bookstores, it's a time to act. That time is now.

[Callyson]

11:28 PM on 05/02/2011

I'm surprised no one mentioned author talks/booksigning events. At least half of the physical, non - electronic books I have purchased within the past couple of years are the result of attending talks, hearing the author, being impressed with what I heard and wanting a personalized copy.