Borders closed here a couple of years ago so it was only a matter of time. It's annoying, I liked Borders the best of all the bookstores. Now we only have Waterstones as the big chain and they don't have half the selection that Borders did. IMO it's sites like Amazon that are causing the decline. It's much easier to just buy a book online than order it through a shop. I try to support local shops as much as possible for general stuff but when I want something specialised I have to buy online!
Personally I think publishers should scrap hardback releases. A hb is expensive and publishers still maintain it's the biggest way to recoup outlay, but trends have shifted so much in recent years that it makes no sense to keep producing hbs. And those outsize paperbacks are just as annoying. Release a book in pb at mass market level and have done with it. Costs go down, easier to pulp on returns, etc.
Publishers have got to be sensible about their e-book pricing, too. I saw a book today that cost £49.50 for the ebook and the hb cost £38. WTF! In the UK most bricks and mortar publishers price their ebooks at twice the cost of a paperback. No wonder ebook piracy is such a problem.
It's not a good situation. So many of our libraries are closing. The village library only opens half the week. It's just depressing.
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rosecarmine
(no subject)
Date: 2011-02-17 02:50 pm (UTC)Personally I think publishers should scrap hardback releases. A hb is expensive and publishers still maintain it's the biggest way to recoup outlay, but trends have shifted so much in recent years that it makes no sense to keep producing hbs. And those outsize paperbacks are just as annoying. Release a book in pb at mass market level and have done with it. Costs go down, easier to pulp on returns, etc.
Publishers have got to be sensible about their e-book pricing, too. I saw a book today that cost £49.50 for the ebook and the hb cost £38. WTF! In the UK most bricks and mortar publishers price their ebooks at twice the cost of a paperback. No wonder ebook piracy is such a problem.
It's not a good situation. So many of our libraries are closing. The village library only opens half the week. It's just depressing.