Kindle or Not, a Resurgence In Used Bookstores

The growing availability of books via internet (whether instant, in the form of downloads from Amazon's Kindle store or the Google Play store, or in physical form by post) puts pressure on conventional bookstores. The Washington Post reports, though, that some bookstores are thriving, and some new ones are getting started, in a particular niche: used books. The phenomenon springs in part from the disappearance of many large chain bookstores, leaving gaps that smaller and nimbler shops can fill; as the article points out, a used bookstore in many places is the only one around. Nonetheless, It is by no means an easy business. Many used-book retailers — with either bad management or bad locations (or both) — still struggle against the digital headwinds. For one, Amazon is still just a few clicks away. But some used-bookstore owners have made a shrewd move: widening their customer base by listing their inventories on Amazon’s third-party marketplace, an idea many new-book retailers despise. (The Washington Post is owned by Amazon founder Jeffrey P. Bezos.) My favorite bookstores have mixed stock (used and new), serve coffee, and specialize -- the process of discovery is still easier at a place like Ada's Technical Books in Seattle than it is browsing through Amazon recommendations.

Comments

Paper

[maop]

This is 2015. Why are books still being printed on paper?

Re:Paper

[NMBob]

They are DRM free. You can share them with whomever you want. You can beat up people that don't return them. Go watch The Princess Bride. Lot's of reasons they are still read, and therefore produced.

Re:Paper

[Anonymous Coward]

Because printing them on tablets is expensive.

Re:Paper

[Junta]

Note there are drm free ebooks too.

I personally don't like dealing with books when I can get it electronically (I prefer an e-ink device, which is even lighter than a book, and looks as good as a book), but some people just prefer a book..

Re:Paper

[mango9]

Absolutely. Plus we can reread them in 5yrs, 10yrs... And they are still there in the event of power failure and other tech failures.
Not that we don't need ebooks. Both is better.

Re:Paper

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

This is 2015. Why are books still being printed on paper?

Because a lot of people like them that way.

But here's a puzzler: This is 2015. Why are people still asking stupid questions?

Re:Paper

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

They are DRM free. You can share them with whomever you want. You can beat up people that don't return them. Go watch The Princess Bride. Lot's of reasons they are still read, and therefore produced.

And...

They don't need a battery. Ever.
They don't break when you drop them, even from heights that would turn a Kindle into a bag of shards.
The feel good in your hands.
The TSA won't make you take them out and "turn them on" when you fly with them.
You can share them with your children and instill a love of reading in them.

Re:Paper

[plopez]

To expand on Junta's comment; drm free, no internet connection required, no subscription fees, no electricity required, easier to search, easy to use "hands off", can be a tactile experience, easier to read in daylight, and easy marginalia..

Re:Paper

[plopez]

Or the stoarge format changes and renders e-books unreadable.

Re:Paper

[mikael]

Because you don't have the whole world knowing what you are reading when you have a technical book on the shelf.

Re:Paper

[DNS-and-BIND]

Did we even notice that this article is about old, secondhand books? Derp, derp, derp. It's just unsettling to see people so willing to discard the old way of doing things and completely fail to see the problem with the new way, up to the point of harshly criticizing those who decline to change. A short story called "The Right to Read" should hopefully make an impression, though I doubt it.

Re:Paper

[gstoddart]

Because many of us like paper books, and we can tell the publishers to fuck off and go to hell when they try to tell us what the license for the book says we can and can't do.

When I'm doing leisure reading, I don't want some damned screen ... I want to sit in a comfy chair, in an idea world near a pool with a mojito, and if a little water (or rum) gets on my paperback book, who cares? I sure don't want some fragile digital device which needs to be coddled and recharged.

I tried e-Books for a while, and while they have a small amount of places where I like to use them, in general many many people still prefer the tactile feel of a book, and don't want to have our eyes constantly facing a screen. The most avid readers I know have eBooks, but still mostly read off paper.

Used book stores are making a comeback because people are asking themselves "why a I reading this on a digital screen where I need to ask permission if I can turn the damned page?" You buy a physical book, and you own it ... you buy a digital book and some asshole lawyer will tell you the terms and conditions. And that lawyer can cram his terms and conditions up his ass.

It may surprise you to know that not all of us wish our entire lives to be spent at the altar of technology, and when we disconnect and take downtime, the last thing we want is some stupid computer screen to have to interact with.

You should try it some time. There's a whole world out there which isn't controlled by a touchscreen or a mouse.

Re:Paper

[thegarbz]

Unreadable? My girlfriend had her kindle for a day before she found some software which could not only strip all the DRM for any formats, but freely convert between them all and plain text.

At the moment this is as solved of a problem as DVD-CSS.

Re:Paper

[wonkey_monkey]

Because, in addition to the myriad other reasons people have already given you, not everyone in the world has an e-reader. Or the internet. Or electrical power.

Re:Paper

[thegarbz]

The TSA won't make you take them out and "turn them on" when you fly with them.

Is that still a thing? The last 4ish times I've flown I wasn't even asked to turn off my very large tablet. They only asked people with laptops to switch them off.

Re:Paper

[NeoMorphy]

To expand on Junta's comment; drm free, no internet connection required, no subscription fees, no electricity required, easier to search, easy to use "hands off", can be a tactile experience, easier to read in daylight, and easy marginalia..

No DRM, but you can't legally copy any portion of a paper book without permission. You only need the internet connection to download the book, not to read it. You don't need a subscription fee for an ebook. You only need electricity to charge a kindle and then it's good for over a month depending on usage. It's just as easy to use hands off, maybe easier, I don't have to worry about it flipping close and finding my place again. Ebooks are much easier to search than a paper book. It doesn't even have to be in the index, I can digitally search for any word or words throughout the book, or even library. E-ink is just as easy to read in daylight as a regular paper book.

Advantages of ebooks?

I can carry a library of tech manuals with me in my pocket. If they get lost, destroyed or stolen I can replace my books for free(I might have to pay the price for the new kindle, but some of my books cost more than a kindle, plus I have multiple kindle devices and a smartphone.) They don't fill an entire room of bookshelves. They don't get moldy. I can buy a new book any day or night and have it in my hands in minutes and it will be cheaper than a new hardcopy version of the book.

One advantage of the paperbooks is that you can get a used copy that is cheaper than the ebook copy. I have done this from Amazon, it's amazing what you can find and have sent to your house for cheap.

Re:Paper

[thegarbz]

Because a lot of people like them that way.

But here's a puzzler: This is 2015. Why are people still asking stupid questions?

Not a puzzler, people aren't taught to think anymore. They are only taught to answer pre-set questions.

Re:Paper

[gweihir]

This is 2015. Why are pencils still made?

See how stupid that sounds?

Re:Paper

[gweihir]

But here's a puzzler: This is 2015. Why are people still asking stupid questions?

Still the same old obsolete v1.0 model, I guess ;-)

Re:Paper

[ItsIllak]

* Have randomly sized text
* Are impractical to carry in enough quantity for 1-2 weeks away from home
* Require an external light source
* Can't be easily searched
* Annotation is messy and often frowned upon
* You lose your place if you fall asleep while reading them
* Can't read themselves to you
* You have to visit a physical store to get a new one

I don't disagree with your list, just think there's an equal (or in my view greater) list on the other side.

DRM is the big problem, but honestly - screw what I've signed up for, I just treat them as if I'd bought the book, I hope governments will eventually forcibly equalise this difference.

Re:Paper

[ShanghaiBill]

Not a puzzler, people aren't taught to think anymore.

Anymore? You are implying that there was once a golden age when people were taught to think. When was that? Then 1950s, when we lived with cookie cutter conformity? The 1960s, when we thought the Vietnam war was a good idea? The 1970s, when disco was popular? The 1980s, when we decided that "deficits don't matter"? The 1990s, when we invested in pets.com? The 00s, when GWB was elected twice?

Re:Paper

[westlake]

This is 2015. Why are books still being printed on paper?

Illustration.

I have collected hundreds of large format books on art. history, architecture, nature, travel and geography that would be profoundly disappointing to read when reduced to the size and resolution of a Kindle. Many of these make superb use of tipped-in prints and photographs, rare inks, textured papers.

Re:Paper

[zippthorne]

They are DRM free...Lot's of reasons they are still read, and therefore produced.

That first one is a good reason, but I wonder how common it is.

As for the remaining reasons, though.. Some people like to have books and some people like to read stories. People who like to read are really enjoying e-paper devices, in spite of the challenges of DRM.

Re:Paper

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

You have to visit a physical store to get a new one

Ever hear of "mail order"? It's a thing, look it up on the google. You can actually get a book delivered right to your house. :)

But I agree, e-books do have some advantages, no doubt about it. As someone else said, "the best choice is both". I occasionally read stuff on my ipad, but overall I prefer a real book in my hands. So I've no problem with people that want e-books, I think they're great, but they aren't the end-all, be-all. Like anything they have their pros and cons.

Re:Paper

[matbury]

Yes, and...
 
If a service desk makes you wait, pull out a real book and start reading it. See how long it takes them to realise how bad this makes them look and start serving you :)

Re:Paper

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

The TSA won't make you take them out and "turn them on" when you fly with them.

Is that still a thing? The last 4ish times I've flown I wasn't even asked to turn off my very large tablet. They only asked people with laptops to switch them off.

Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. But they've never asked me to turn my book on.

Re: Paper

[Threni]

You think one day it'll be impossible for a device more advanced than today's to handle a format books were stored in?

Re:Paper

[k6mfw]

They are DRM free.

YES! I can buy a book with cash and ***NOT*** have to setup an account with password, submit my name, SSN, DOB, address, and sign the EULA.

Re:Paper

[JaredOfEuropa]

I love e-books, but the submitter of the article is right about one thing: most e-readers offer a terrible browsing experience, are piss-poor at providing meaningful recommendations, and suck at helping you organize your library. There is a lot of room for improvement there.

Re: Paper

[KenHansen]

They don't need a battery. Ever. They don't break when you drop them, even from heights that would turn a Kindle into a bag of shards. The feel good in your hands. The TSA won't make you take them out and "turn them on" when you fly with them. You can share them with your children and instill a love of reading in them.

And they have a tremendous carbon footprint (cutting down trees, moving logs to mill, mill to paper plant, paper plant to printer, printer to warehouse, warehouse to store, store to home)... They also look great on bookcase. There is a thriving business in selling used books by the linear board foot as a decorative item

Re: Paper

[KenHansen]

Then 1950s, when we lived with cookie cutter conformity?

The economy boomed in the 1950's, and people were genuinely happy by most accounts.

The 1960s, when we thought the Vietnam war was a good idea?

Pretty sure quite a few people opposed the Vietnam War.

The 1970s, when disco was popular?

I seem to recall a large backlash against Disco, culminating in a dramatic anti-disco record burning party.

The 1980s, when we decided that "deficits don't matter"?

I don't recall that being a wildly-popular position in the 80's, but then again, like most Americans I was busy working, paying taxes, etc.

The 1990s, when we invested in pets.com?

That was far from a universal position.

The 00s, when GWB was elected twice?

Bush won in 2000 because Gorecwas seen as an extension of the Clinton scandal-riddled administration, and the electorate RARELY lets one party control the whitehouse for three consecutive terms - Reagan/Reagan/Bush were last to do it on the Republican side, Rosevelt/Rosevelt/Rosevelt/Truman were the last to do it on the Democratic side. Re-elected? Pretty sure Bush beat Kerry despite Kerry supporters representing nearly, but not more than, half the voters in that campaign. More people voted against Kerry than voted against Bush, but you can't argue 'everyone' thought re-electing Bush was a good idea.

Re:Paper

[wisnoskij]

But for how much longer? They have already developed the ink designed to make book text fade after the first reading.

Re: Paper

[Attila Dimedici]

It would not be the first time that happened.

Re:Paper

[KGIII]

I dunno... I've seen some documentaries and we've had a few forks and we've had a few major versions since we climbed down from the trees. Or, if you want, since before we climbed into 'em.

Re:Paper

[hey!]

In general if you let the average marketer anywhere near the UX design process the user will never feel like he's in control of the browsing experience. I guess it's just that mediocrity is the norm in any field, but you'd think the goal would be to make the user feel like he's in control while subtly influencing his decisions. But subtle, marketing influence in user interface design is not. I always feel like I'm fighting with the Apple Store, that the store wants to steer me towards what everyone else is supposed to be buying. That's why I steer clear of the Apple store and get my music in MP3 format from Amazon -- a company I'm not particularly enamored of politically but which is smart enough not to make me fight against the tide to get what I want.

Re:Paper

[hey!]

This is true, and it raises the importance of design and build quality in paper books -- which is often lacking. Find a volume from the late 1800s in a used bookstore; in many ways that era was the pinnacle of dead tree book UX, or at least the surviving books from that era are. Good enough but not elaborately precious typography, quality paper and binding, fine covers -- they're a pleasure to use in a way that a ten year-old paperback or even most 21st century hardbound volumes are not.

Re:Paper

[Sir Holo]

This is 2015. Why are books still being printed on paper?

Because a lot of people like them that way.

But here's a puzzler: This is 2015. Why are people still asking stupid questions?

Precisely. I am not going to read Harper's on a Kindle (or iPad, etc.) in the bathtub or hot tub.

Likewise, I am not going to leave my iPad on the beach while I go for a swim. A paper copy of something... Ha. No one will take it.

Re:Paper

[Sir Holo]

* Have randomly sized text
* Are impractical to carry in enough quantity for 1-2 weeks away from home
* ...
* Annotation is messy and often frowned upon
* You lose your place if you fall asleep while reading them

What? really?

Page-layout in physical print is a highly refined art. In web pages and 'Kindle-versions' of books, the great effort of the typesetter for readability is thrown out of the window.

If you read only 'fluff' books, then your second point does appy. I suggest that you read something pithy that requires you to think every few paragraphs. Thus, you will have less paper to carry, and as a reward, much more to ponder.

Annotation is frowned upon? By whom? Your first-grade teacher? Write in the goddamned margins. All the greats did. If you think annotation destroys the value of your book, then you have argued explicitly against you last point of 'destroying value' of a book by annotating. Look up the word 'palimpsest', and also google the term 'famous margin writings'.

RE: Your last point. If re-reading a paragraph, or even gasp, a whole page of a book or magazine that you have been reading flummoxes you, then you are either (a) reading page-turner garbage, (b) choosing authors who have nothing worth repeating, or (probably) (c) too dumb to get that re-reading anything worthwhile is a worthwhile investment of your time.

Re:Paper

[david_thornley]

You can also flip back and forth in the book more easily, and have different fingers marking different pages. It's not as intuitive to do that with an ePub.

Re:Paper

[david_thornley]

But with enhanced IQs, compared to maybe 80-90 years ago.

Re:Paper

[gweihir]

Indeed. But only IQ, not actual intelligence or skills. IQ-test like questions have gotten pervasive enough that everybody has some experience with them, and that is known to boost scores.

Re:Paper

[cwsumner]

Why paper? Because we stare at computer screens, tablets, phones, etc all day and want a break when we read!

Rate this one up!!

This is the reason for many of us here, and for many others, now that computer equipment is everywhere.
I want to rest, but I am -really- tired of watching TV. (And it is raining outside...) 8-)

Re:Paper

[david_thornley]

IQ tests do their best to test intelligence, so it's reasonable to expect some improvement of general intelligence with rising IQs. I don't know what you really mean by "IQ-test-like questions", since the last IQ test I had was one-on-one without very many questions. (It showed that my problems at the time were depression rather than failling cognitive functions.)

problem with used book stores

[Osgeld]

Everyone's got a shit ton of them, every thrift store is 1/3 used books, and other than thrift stores you cant give the damn things away. Now you think if you fill a building full of stuff no one wants, you will be able to sustain anything?

no, no one cares about buying used paperback romance novels, so you better have a specialty, like antique rare books. Are most used book stores mismanages, your damn right, they opened a used book store!

Re:problem with used book stores

[Tablizer]

Yes, that means they get a free or cheap supply of inventory. The advantage they have over say a garage sale is that similar books (hopefully) are categorized together in one spot, saving the consumer from multiple store/source visits.

Two things come to mind.

[taxman_10m]

Gift giving. When giving gifts for birthdays, holidays, whatever, tangible things seem right.

Status/virtue signaling. I think people like to flash the book cover of whatever they are reading to everyone around them.

Re:Two things come to mind.

[gstoddart]

Hey, if someone thinks me flashing the book cover of my old copies of Tom Clancy or an Isaac Asimov means I'm signalling either virtue or status ... then that person is a fucking moron.

I'm sorry, but I have never heard of this bullshit, and I don't give a fuck about what anybody else thinks about what I'm reading. While I'm sure society will always have some proportion of shallow, vain idiots whose life is dependent on being seen doing stuff .. I still think the vast majority of people reading actual books aren't doing it to signal status.

That guy in the corner with the cover folder around a beat up paperback? He doesn't give a crap what you think of what he's reading.

Pretentious college students? Maybe. Real grown ups reading books for pleasure? No bloody way.

The real killer app in this space

[wbr1]

Will be when someone figures out they can attached digital books (and other media) to a block chain. Allowing new copies to be charged as the rightsholder wants, and used digital copies distributed at fair market prices.

Used books

[Catmeat]

From a conversations with a used bookseller I know. for the last 7 or 8 years at least, many used booksellers in the UK have been kept afloat by ABEBooks, to the extent that many have shut their retail shops and gone to 100% online sales, moving their stock in a cheap-to-rent storage unit.

Won't someone think of the profits?

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

"...but some used-bookstore owners have made a shrewd move: widening their customer base by listing their inventories on Amazon’s third-party marketplace, an idea many new-book retailers despise."

New-book retailers: "But won't someone think of muh profits?!"

That's one reason they hate the idea of "real" books- there's no DRM, so they can be resold, traded, or loaned without interference.

And I wouldn't be a bit surprised if Amazon eventually either forbids the resale of used books in their marketplace, or else makes it so unprofitable that people just won't do it.

Re:Won't someone think of the profits?

[phantomfive]

And I wouldn't be a bit surprised if Amazon eventually either forbids the resale of used books in their marketplace, or else makes it so unprofitable that people just won't do it.

I don't think they care, they get their cut either way.

Re:Won't someone think of the profits?

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

And I wouldn't be a bit surprised if Amazon eventually either forbids the resale of used books in their marketplace, or else makes it so unprofitable that people just won't do it.

I don't think they care, they get their cut either way.

Oh, I think they care. They care about their bottom line, and if they could increase it another 0.1% by stifling sales of used books or real paper books they'd do it in the blink of an eye. They'd do it so fast you'd need one of those million-frame per second cameras to see it.

Like any corporation, it's all about the money. Oh yah, social causes blah blah blah, doing stuff for the good of mankind blah blah blah...don't believe a word of it. Profit is the name of the game. It's a corporation, that's what corporations do.

Re:Won't someone think of the profits?

[NostalgiaForInfinity]

New-book retailers: "But won't someone think of muh profits?!" ... if Amazon eventually

Your ideological blinders are showing. Of course, retailers and Amazon maximize profit, but they are doing a good job at getting out books cheaply.

The evil actors in the book publishing business are primarily publishers and secondarily agents and top-selling authors; they are trying to manipulate the market to their advantage, profit at the expense of small players, keep prices artificially high, and maintain monopolies. They are the ones who push for outrageous changes to copyright law, for government subsidies, and destroying the public domain.

Re:Won't someone think of the profits?

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

The evil actors in the book publishing business are primarily publishers and secondarily agents and top-selling authors;

News Flash: Pretty much everyone and everything is "evil", depending on what your values are or the lens you view life through.

The fact is that very few of us are in it just for the love of the game, okay?

Re:Won't someone think of the profits?

[NostalgiaForInfinity]

The fact is that very few of us are in it just for the love of the game, okay?

There is nothing wrong with being in it for profits; what is wrong is to try to derive your profits from coercion, via rent seeking and corruption.

News Flash: Pretty much everyone and everything is "evil", depending on what your values are or the lens you view life through.

Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't clear about that: voluntary interactions between people are good, forcing people to do stuff against their will in order to profit is evil. Clear enough now?

Re:Won't someone think of the profits?

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

voluntary interactions between people are good, forcing people to do stuff against their will in order to profit is evil.

And...what's your point?

According to you, locking people out of a market and creating a near-monoply so you can make a few more dollars is fine, right? After all, you're not forcing them to do anything, so what's the problem?

They just can't sell stuff and compete with you, but you're not forcing them to do anything, so this should be perfectly fine, correct?

Re:Won't someone think of the profits?

[NostalgiaForInfinity]

According to you, locking people out of a market and creating a near-monoply so you can make a few more dollars is fine, right? After all, you're not forcing them to do anything, so what's the problem?

Your premise is wrong: proprietary standards do not "lock people out of a market". Just look at chargers: Apple has had proprietary chargers for a decade; does that mean that people can only get iPhones now? Of course not. In fact, the proprietary nature of their products has cost them market share.

They just can't sell stuff and compete with you,

Why "can't they just sell stuff and compete with you"? How does Apple's lightning connector keep you from selling Android phones with USB connectors?

Re:Won't someone think of the profits?

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

I'm referring to Amazon potentially blocking sellers of new or used books from using their platform, not Lightning connectors.

Re:Won't someone think of the profits?

[NostalgiaForInfinity]

I'm referring to Amazon potentially blocking sellers of new or used books from using their platform, not Lightning connectors.

So? There are half a dozen competitors already, and they'd be happy to pick up this business if Amazon were stupid enough to do this. Even if there weren't, it would take a few days to set up a new platform. How is anybody "locked out of" anything?

Re:Won't someone think of the profits?

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

So? There are half a dozen competitors already, and they'd be happy to pick up this business if Amazon were stupid enough to do this. Even if there weren't, it would take a few days to set up a new platform. How is anybody "locked out of" anything?

You're pretty skilled at missing the point, aren't you?

This is a good thing

[tie_guy_matt]

Once the zombie apocalypse happens, paper book stores will be the only way for us to get information on how to use baseball bats (cricket bats in the UK) along with chain saws and other weapons to kill the walking dead. That is until, or unless, we can get enough infrastructure back to be able to read ebooks again. Come to think of it, I hope some of those books will be on acid free paper. No telling how long a supernatural event featuring the undead will last once it gets started.

Re:This is a good thing

[swb]

What you'd really want are farming and basic engineering references from the turn of the century. When this modern shithouse collapses, we'll be incredibly thankful just to try to live at 1900 standards and I'm guessing that 1800 will be about the average.

Let's Not Forget ...

[gordguide]

Let's Not Forget that a pre-requisite for owning a Used Book Store is the proprietor must be clearly insane. I don't mean that he or she would "have to be crazy" to be in the used book market in a "market" sense ... I mean that if they were not certifiable lunatics, they would not even consider possessing large quantities of used books sufficient to offer them for retail sale. Plus, the inventory multiplies like rabbits, since they sell one used book for every 20 used books they buy.

One of the big issues Used Book Stores have to deal with are commercial leases ... they are not necessarily ideal tenants because the weight of the product they sell is probably higher than just about any other product, and that includes New Books, since resellers of new books generally make an effort to have the inventory look good, versus stacked 10 rows high covered in dust with extremely narrow shelf pitches making browsing difficult except for the super skinny.

What they have going for them as tenants is they are very reluctant to move. So shady landlords love them, since the leaseholder is putty in their hands. Want to raise the rent? Go ahead, and make it unreasonable while you're at it. 50/50 they will pay rather than move.

Gotta mention Powells

[PuddleBoy]

Powell's City of Books in downtown Portland. A full city block, multiple floors, of new and used books (and maps and book-related kitsch). So big (and popular) that they had to expand their technical books to another storefront nearby.

On many days, the place is backed with shoppers - and it's a huge store. They even have a map of the store, so that you don't get lost. The store is divided into general subject sections: Reference, Mystery, SciFi, Art, Languages, Magazines, etc.

It's such a trip to browse, and find, practically any book you can think of. And, if it's not on the shelf, go to their website and see if they have it in their warehouse. (You can check their website from any of the many terminals set up throughout the store) If they do, you can buy it and have it appear in Will Call at the main store.

You can sell them your old books at their buying counter. (I've sold a couple hundred there myself...)

If you're into books (the kind that are made of paper), you should visit this place at least once.

(I'm not associated with the place - just a customer for the last 20+ years)

Re: Gotta mention Powells

[steveha]

The Powell's technical bookstore closed, but Powell's opened a replacement called Powell's 2. This was a smaller store with fewer books, but it was right across the street from the "City of Books" main store.

However, Powell's 2 also closed. I guess the technical books are just in the main store now because they no longer list a special location for technical books.

http://www.powells.com/locations

Re:Gotta mention Powells

[FunkSoulBrother]

I was kind of disappointed when I visited Powell's after all the hype. I didn't realize how small a city block is in Portland.

Re:Electronic media sucks

[ItsIllak]

1. Strip the DRM
2. I don't find ePaper to be a problem, but I don't like reading a phone or tablet. On the other hand, every ebook I have has the spacing, margins, font and font size I want it to have - not that which fitted the format the publisher wanted or typesetter liked one day.
3. The last three I bought (on Amazon) were 1/3rd cheaper than their paperback versions.
4. Yes - biggest problem, gifting a used book is problematic, though Strip the DRM and it's not so hard to sideload them to most devices.
5. Didn't you just say that? Strip the DRM and remember not to read them or loan them out to others while your recipient is reading them.

Honestly, the industry is going to have to learn that restricting ownership rights to licensing for personal use is a dead end and a bad move that will increase piracy. Until then, I'll just buy eBooks and notionally treat them as paper books.

I'd love to have a used book store

[future assassin]

or say a coffee shop/small casual diner with 1000s of book available to read and for sale. I'd probably make it two levels, the bottom floor where everything is served/bought and with seats for people to eat/talk and upstairs where people can browse books and read them all day long while they drink coffee/beverages/food.

Reason i say two levels as it''ll probably be cheaper to for rent 1000sqf bottom with a large mezzanine then say 1500sqf on one floor.

Now I'm not a book reader and haven't read book for years but still for me there is something strange and calming when I visit second hand store with a large book selection.

Re:I'd love to have a used book store

[Osgeld]

so you want a store that sells coffee and cookies to 4-5 people who dont have a job otherwise they wouldn't linger at a bookstore for 2/3rds a day

sounds brilliant

Re:I'd love to have a used book store

[future assassin]

Well just because you can't find time in your life doesn't mean others cant. Besides now one says you have to get rich from your business, its all about working for your self and having control over your life.

Re:I'd love to have a used book store

[Gryle]

Meh, depends on where the store location is. You could probably count on a certain amount of retirees in the winter (snowbirds if you're in a warm enough climate) and a healthy market among high-school and college students in the summer. The concept is not too dissimilar from tabletop gaming stores who provide playspace as an incentive to get their client base in the door.

Re:I'd love to have a used book store

[Osgeld]

high-school and college students generally dont have money, there are bills to pay in a 2 story building in a good area

Re:I'd love to have a used book store

[Osgeld]

while you can have control over your life in a successful business, a failing one will consume your soul, your family and everything you own

be careful, whims and dreams dont pay bills, which you will have

Re:I'd love to have a used book store

[future assassin]

Although sometimes its out of ones control when a business starts to fail you'll never know if it will unless you try it. Having a solid business and exit plan is essential (Min you my current business has none and its doing good) but even then no guarantees if there's some social or technological change that will make it fail.

If your plan is to suck out every penny out of the business for your self and not reinvest into it, it will fail on the first market slow down.

I miss used book stores

[k6mfw]

They can be a huge time pit because browsing through one can find all kinds of interesting publications that never knew existed. And many times I've bought publications which typically takes up space at my home.

The only real problem with eBooks is the price

[Kevin108]

When shopping online, eBooks typically cost just as much as the hardcover version. That is why there is not wider adoption.

eBooks would sell like crazy if priced $5 and under.

Just glancing at my bookshelf:

Stephen King - Cell (2006) New hardcover is $6. Kindle is $9.
Michael Crichton - State of Fear (2009) New hardcover is $6. Kindle is $5.

selling all the old books

[NostalgiaForInfinity]

This is people selling all the old paper books they don't need anymore (obviously, there are still people buying them at some low price). I think it's no more than a temporary resurgence.

Is alcohol really legal again?

[tepples]

Note there are drm free ebooks too.

True. But sticking to them will likely give you the false impression that the world hasn't changed since December 31, 1922, when the last clearly public domain book was published.

Re:Is alcohol really legal again?

[david_thornley]

If you can get hold of an older version of the Nook program for Windows, the one that runs on Windows 7, you get distinct ebook files. I doubt that the version for Windows 8 or later would be so accommodating.

Re:people want to sell used stuff....

[KGIII]

Unfortunately, from what I have read (that whole terms and conditions thing) you're not buying e-books. In most cases, you're licensing them and that license doesn't necessarily include the ability to transfer that license. This appears to be relatively common with non-tangible product licenses.

Re:Used books are gross

[cyberchondriac]

I love bookstores, used and otherwise. I think this is good news. The vast majority of my books, fiction and non-fiction (and some in-between) have never left my bedroom, and every once in a while, I'll take a load of those I don't want to keep for reference or rereading anymore down to a used bookstore in the next town over and trade them in. So anyone eventually buying them is getting a clean, well-cared for book.
So not all are dirty, but I know what you mean, I sometimes wonder if the used book I just bought was held by someone while they were on the toilet, wiping their ass, and if they swapped hands at some point. You never know, but I think the chances are rather on the low side, actually. I think it also depends on the subject matter: "coffee table" or trivia style books are probably more likely to have taken up residence in someone's bathroom (to kill time) than something more focused or specific, and I tend not to buy the former kind used. And these days, more people are likely to use their smartphones or tablets than books while sitting on the porcelain throne.

Re:Used books are gross

[Scarletdown]

Sounds like you are not cut out for any interaction whatsoever anywhere outside your basement.

I love used books...

[Sir Holo]

I not only love used books, but this last five years has been an absolute bonanza on IRL rare books that have a low consumer demand. That is, for me, technical books on conference proceedings where an idea was first germinated, or even figured out over beers.

Yes, I do use a rig w/an iPhone and GeniusScan+ to quickly PDF and OCR them, under Fair Use Rights. That is only to make them term-searchable, which is better than any index. I keep the physical copies.

Some seminal scientific breakthroughs were first reported in conferences forty years ago, when transcriptionists recorded every question-and-answer sessions of colloquia. Libraries are throwing these things out left and right, to the detriment of human knowledge. It's like a slow-burn in Alexandria.

It's what makes these sites fun!

[iq145]

Books and libraries, also newspapers & periodicals, are quickly becoming obsolete. With the internet, cellphones, Kindles, Tablets, Blackberries and a few other things... info has become easier and more plentifully obtainable (and more fun) than what a boring environmentally burdensome library or newspaper can provide! Say goodbye to books, especially phonebooks! This is the best example: We're all online reading news websites every day. We don't buy newspapers. This is more fun and more updated and more colourful and less messy and less burden AND it's interactive. We save money and the environment. These days, "libraries" are just about little more than free "internet cafes". People go there when their home PCs are on the fritz or they don't own one. This is the age of technology!

Re:Used books are gross

[cwsumner]

I'd never buy used books, they are just bacteria-colonies from somebody else's bathroom. ...

The Bathroom is not the dirtyest or most bacteria-laden room in your house. The Kitchen is. Look it up... 8-P

Looks

[cwsumner]

Hey, you realize that used book stores -always- look like they are closing... right? 8-)

Used bookstore?

[larriet]

Whadya get for a used bookstore these days?