Buy a book: Save the world of publishing!

Will check out the link you've posted shortly. Have heard that hard copy publishing is in danger. That would be terrible. I love to read online, but there's nothing quite like the feel of a book in your hands. I buy lots of books for Christmas gifts. I don't think there's any better gift one could buy a child. There are lots of readers in my family so I find some fun and fascinating selections each year.

I'm all for books - and my kids love to get them! This year, I was into cookbooks, so I used my Amazon giftcard for several cookbooks for them - and, I hope, one for me at some point. The whole system seems unfair, Aaron - with stores not taking half the burden.

Intelligent, passionate & compassionate and you play the piano - Thank you, Aaron, for a good article and for that link. I am a publisher. I no longer sell to B&N or the other chains because of their returns policy. In the example of buying $100 of books and returning them in a few months for a refund, it was incorrectly stated that the $100 changed hands. In my experience, the payment was 90 days, before which the books were returned - canceling the amount due - and more were ordered to replace them! Worse, the liberal returns policy they insisted upon meant I got coffee-stained, dog-eared, used copies in return.
I am closing my bookstore of 23 years this month, but keeping my publishing company, which also includes a bookshop of NY-centric books, open in a smaller space. I believe in the future of book publishing, but the current model must be revised for it to survive.

Aaron, you look so stoic in that photo!

I read the article and it's a good idea; buy books!

Amazon is even offering a free month of Amazon Prime (free 2-day shipping, no minimum purchase). You have to sign-up but you can cancel at the end of the month, and you owe nothing.

Here's the link:

Amazon Prime

Thanks for the heads up, I guess, I will be buying books this weekend. Also, give my kudos to Melanie K. Lazar, I enjoyed reading your reviews to the sound of her voice.

I'm always buying books, and especially at Christmas.

Hi, Kimberly. Me, too. Books are my favorites to give and receive as gifts!

Hi, Kat! cookbooks are simply delicious. Can't wait til you write us one. ;o)

Richard, thanks so much. I know you as the chef and bookstore owner, but didn't know you had a publishing company, too. I'm sorry to hear about the closing of your bookstore - I hope it was planned, and is going to be a good thing for you? Send me the link to your pub. company, with submission requirements, and if you like I'll send only screened top grade authors who I happen to meet to your doors. Not that you probably NEED more subs, most pubs don't these days.

Nancy, thanks for the link to Amazon Prime! ;o)

Michael, thanks so much. Melanie is my daughter. She loves to sing, just graduated from Eastman with a degree in voice and a companion degree in psychology from U of R. She's now studying in Boston for a masters in music therapy. ;o)


A.F. , I wouldn't have expected any less of you! Way to go. ;o)

You bet, Rick. Thank you!

This is a wonderful addition to our group The Best Original Photos, Art and Writing for 2008 click here

Books are the one thing I will never stop buying, no matter how much I might have to cut back on other things. I will definitely be buying books as Christmas gifts this year, and books will also encompass the bulk of my own Christmas wish-list. Though the kids in my family have been grown up for a long time now, my mom still looks for Christmas wish-lists from us, and last year she complained that mine was boring to shop from, because it consisted of pretty much just books, lol.

Simply love books. Haven't read half of the books that I bought though. :)
Thanks for the links. I will check them out.

Marilyn, thank you. ;o)

Hi, Lisa. LOL! Love your list - "boring" is good when it's all about books!!!!

I don't ever want to stop buying books and I don't ever want publishers to stop publishing books. What the blogger says about chains being able to return books is true. In defense of the chains, corporate offices usually order in enormous quantities. By doing so, they receive discounts. Perhaps chains and pubs should get together and work out structures that could be beneficial to all.

Thanks, Ru. ;o) Me, too. My pile keeps growing, but it's comforting knowing I have so many great reads ahead of me!

Kay, wouldn't that be wonderful? And it would just make SENSE! Thanks!

Aaron, I'm back! When I had a baking business, the stores that bought from me had to pay for the order when I delivered it - so they were stuck if there were leftovers. They had to order carefully, and I had to bring in my part of the bargain, which was bringing items that would sell out. Why can't writers and publishers do it the same way?

Kat, you hit the nail on the head. There are solid models out there that work - they need to upgrade their process to share the risk and do what's responsible! Thanks for your example. ;o)

Thanks, Aaron for sending your perceptive article to Home Comfort . We are featuring it today. I only send books as gifts during the holidays. But, I have been concerned for some time now about how the mainstream publishers operate. Like Richard Frisbie, I believe the model must change to meet the realities of current market forces.

Yes Aaron, the handwriting has been on the wall for some time. The old publishing business model just doesn’t work in this impatient sound-bite world of ours. Digital convergence and the Internet have changed everything.

Change being the essential process for all existence seemed to apply to everybody else and not the publishing industry. They simply left themselves behind in the dust, while others embraced new opportunities.

The biggest problem is that there are fewer and fewer book readers, especially readers of fiction. With too many distractions offering a quick fix, the joy of taking the time to read a great book takes a back seat to the manipulation of creating a fad at best. Marketing has always been king, but without an enormous budget, a diamond in the rough has little or no chance of getting noticed.

For a different kind of reading experience you might want to take a look at an out-of-the-box thinking published book that broke all the rules. Most people haven’t yet found this great and inspired work, but when they do, it will become a journey in reading that they will always remember.

http://www.littlunsblog.com

http://www.littluns.net

I do buy a lot of books, but it's getting harder and harder to do that when they keep getting more and more expensive. And I understand that publishing costs are going up, so books have to get more expensive. Even my own books are getting more expensive, although I am cutting my profit to try to keep the cost down. But knowing why something is so does not make it any easier to pay for books.

Being a lover of books, I hope their demise as an item to purchase is a long way off, despite the continued threats they are on the way out. Who does not want their own "library" at home to savor and cherish, save for posterity. Each selection tells of ones passions, likes and interests. IT is a personality indicator,if you will, of our own selves. I went to the list, and it is very impressive, and I have many new wishes. Thanks so much. Ellen B

I've been buying romance novels since I was a teenager. And, I will never stop buying them.
People need to read, and broaden their mind.

For those who think young people don't read - my hard working professional children , aged 27 and 31 - are reading fanatics. They love books, as well as Facebook....

I've read the story at the link. I have a shopping list of books now and have never left a bookstore without a couple of bonus purchases. Count on me.

I love books, too...book buying is my not-so-secret vice. I buy from the smaller, independent book sellers, because I prefer the non-warehouse feel, and because it feels right to support community businesses and artists.

Perhaps the chain booksellers wouldn't be so powerful if there was more "competition" from businesses with a stronger tie to the community than to a large corporations.

What's the next step: Netbooks?

I also love books. I think part of the problem is the drop in reading in the general population (in both Canada and the U.S.). When I was in Bulgaria some years ago, book stores were everywhere. There were book tables on the street, just like you might find tables selling CDs or other little items, because they were popular and profitable... even though they were cheap. The population was highly literate and everyone read. I find that here, bookstores are going out of business... when I was growing up, there would be two or three in a mall... now there is barely a book section in a general store in the mall, and that only sells the most popular stuff.

books = good!

I can vouch for readership NOT being on the way down at public libraries.

No encouragement needed here. I have already bought several books for my grandsons for Christmas. They are the only ones who I know won't complain. Unfortunately I am a lone book lover in my home. Others read but not in the same fashion I do. I buy books sometimes simply because the font is unique of the paper has a great feel to it.
I was unaware that the publishing industry was in trouble until this past Thanksgiving. My sister in law works for one of the bigger publishers in NYC. We saw her on Thanksgiving and she commented that people need to buy more books. Words I had never heard from her lips before...she is more about fashion than reading.
When times are difficult we cut out luxuries and books are among them. One of my passions was going to the bookstore several times a week now I find myself rarely crossing the threshold.

Natalie. Thanks for featuring this. We need all the attention we can get!

Simon - Littluns looks intriguing! The artwork is wonderful. Thanks for sharing your insight with us.

Kitty - yay! You're a great example of how we can get this market kickstarted! Way to go!

Ellen - me, too. I love to hold a book in my hands, to savor the feel of the pages, to place my favorites on a shelf when it's done. There it will stay for years to come, and eventually be passed on to my children/grandchildren.

Rhetta, I know what you mean! My trade paperback books have gone from 21.95 to 27.95 on Barnes and Noble, although folks can still buy them direct from the pub for 21.95. I pay about half that for my own stock, but it's still quite a hefty chunk of change.

Angela, you're so right. I just wish I could see as many young people today reading as did in my age. I always had my nose in a book at a child, but today see kids at their monitors or in front of television. The world that awaits them is incredible, if they could just see...

Kat, that is SO comforting to know!! I know we still have young readers out there, I just wish I could see them more often. Although some of my LeGarde fans are as young as 10 - and as old as 97!!

Jan, me, too! It's so hard not to find extras to pick up when you're in a bookstore. I love it!

Liz, good for you!! Those smaller stores are in danger of disappearing. We must do all we can to support them.

Ian - what interesting points. And you're right. While I don't go to malls that often (I hate malls!), there used to be multiple bookstores, and now I have trouble finding one. So sad.

Andrea! You and me, both! Good for you!

Tracy, that is EXCELLENT news! Keep us up to date with those bulletins about libraries - we need to hear more of this!

Linda, buying a nice book is almost intoxicating, isn't it? But it's scary about the industry in general.

All - I think the Gather community is especially intelligent and literary. We sure don't have to convince ourselves to purchase more books, do we? Just look at all the book lovers who answered this piece.

Now, how do we promote greater passion for reading in the general community? Ideas?

Everybody - how many times have we all taken time to respond to posts only to find that the person posting them has moved on? More times than not our response seem to fall on deaf ears. It's as if their points are more important to them than the people who cared enough to respond.

Aaron is obviously the exception to this trend. He shows respect with all of his thoughtful responses to those who value him as well. This is the way it should be.

I appreciate that too, Simon. It does keep me coming back! Interesting discussion topics (especially on something we obviously all feel so passionate about!), and then that we also respond to each other. I learn a lot from Gather that I might not hear about elsewhere.

Thanks for the forum, Aaron!

What a great gift a book makes for the holidays!

-Warren

Thanks, Simon, Liz, and Kitty. Stuff like this is surely worth discussing, isn't it?

Warren! You're back! We missed you. Hope your trip abroad was a success!

thanks for the link

Hello Aaron Lazar, (author of LeGarde Mysteries),

I just wanted to say I am finally going through what is now under 7,600 pieces of gather new mail that is in my inbox on here. So with that in mind I have finally come to a piece of mail that was addressed to me in regards this article submission you have created to share with the gather community. Thank you for taking the time and sharing your piece with us here at gather. :o)

And as well Merry Christmas... and Happy Holidays... :o)