Sunday, June 5, 2011

Death of the Bookstore

*** Winners Announced  ***

Please Contact me on ...
contact [at] traceyohara [dot] com 
with your email details and I will arrange to have the ebook gift emailed to you from Amazon.

Thanks to everone who responded. 

*******



The other day I learned that our Aussie Borders stores will all be closing along with all the Angus and Robertson bookstores in Australia. The parent company has gone bust. This is the largest book chain in Australia and it really saddens me to see this. Then I was speaking to the manager of one of my favourite independent stores for Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror Galaxy Books which has had to downsize and move to a different location to survive. This makes me sad. One of my favourite things in the world to do is to go into a bookstore and browse the shelves. And I have to admit – if they are selling my book – then I am sure to get a bit of a thrill seeing it there. Not to mention all my friends books as well. So is this going to become a thing of the past.

Keri Arthur and I at Galaxy Bookstore 


In a way it doesn’t surprise me. The world is changing. More and more we are moving into to a virtual world. Another factor for us in Australia is that the price of books here is huge. We pay between $19.99 and $22.00 for a mass market paperback; $22 - $30 for trade paperbacks and hard covers can be from anywhere $35 - $49.99. Places like Galaxy discount do them and I do liek to suppor the independant stores. But when you compare this to paying $8 on the Book Depository and not having to pay for postage, you can see why a lot of people are moving to buying their books online. That and the strength of the Australian dollar, people are buying more than just books, it's CDs, DVDs, even electronics, clothing, shoes - you name it. Retail stores all over Australia are crying foul and are calling for the government to impose tariffs. They are lamenting the loss of income and business to the internet. But in this time of a tough economy, people are looking to save money where they can.

This made me review my own book buying process. I buy most of my physical books from my local independent store Intrigue Bookstore owned by the very lovely Margaret who has been a wonderful support of my books. I now also own a Kindle and I’m finding the eReader very convenient. Even if I have the paperback, I find I might even buy the Kindle version as well, especially if it is going through a promo period.

Which segues nicely into my announcement. HarperVoyager are discounting the ebook version of DEATH’S SWEET EMBRACE to $2.99 from Tuesday 7 June until 7 July. To celebrate this I am going to give away 3 Kindle versions of the ebook (it is the only format I know how to gift). But I am told it will be the same price everywhere including Amazon, Nook, iBook, Kobo, Sony and other ebook sellers.




So tell me your book buying habits. Are you still going to the bricks and mortar to get your reading fix; or do you buy online; or, like me, you do a combination of both. For a chance to win one of 3 Kindle eBook of Death's Sweet Embrace





Note: Special thanks to Kat at Book Thingo for the photo of Keri and I

33 comments:

Cammie said...

Reading is my passion and I buy a LOT of books, but due to no more room left I have moved over to ebooks now. I mourn the loss of bookshops though and hope that the rest survive. I think there is a place for ebooks and paper books but I think the whole publishing industry has to rethink their methods to keep pace with the times and the changes in technology. Good luck with your new release! :)

JJ said...

Hi Tracy,
I will most often buy online from Book depository, Amazon & betterworldbooks.

I buy from local booksellers when I absolutely have to have it right there and then. Most recently this was the new kylie chan which I purchased from Readings rather than the Borders across the road.

I have recently begun to purchase a lot of books for the kindle for iphone, Mainly these are quick reads, category romance, and the odd writing instructional.

So there you have it, my buying habits are quite varied!

JJ

Tracey O'Hara said...

Cammie - I totally agree with everything you said. I love spending time in a bricks and mortor store, but also love the conveinience of being able to instantly download something I want to read. I also think there is a plae for both.

Tracey O'Hara said...

JJ - yes - I also am varied - though mostly on Kindle at the moment as I am buying backlist books.

Michelle @ Much Loved Books said...

I tend to buy my books from stores online, i shop around the bookstores websites to find the better price. However if the stores themselve are doing offers like 3 for 2 then i tend to go to the store itself and spend a few hours looking around before i buy. :D

Katie said...

Mostly, I buy my physical books via amazon. Their prices just can't be beat. I have a Nook from Barnes and Nobel so I get my ebooks from all over the place.

Thanks!
Katie

Tracey O'Hara said...

Michelle and Katie, as I suspected - more and more we are moving away from the bookstore - except for the pleasure experience.

Rain Maiden said...

Hi Tracey I live in California and the Borders closed by us too. It was sad. I live in a small town and have to get almost all my books online. I'm shocked that you pay so much for books down under. I'm a Kindle/Amazon girl here.

Tracey O'Hara said...

One of the best things about the internet is that those who live in remote areas can now get books easily online. It is sad when bookstores close - this is particulary hard as the entire company nation wide has goine under.

Lea @ The Yearning Mermaid said...

I live in a small town in Germany and I mostly read english books, which are not available in my local book stores. So I mostly get my books from amazon.
If I buy a german book I support my local bookstore. It kind of seems...right. Don´t know how else to put it.
Well, your book prices in australia are making me speechless. Hard times.
Lea

Donna said...

I haven't ever really lived by the big brick 'n mortar store except for a small Borders Express a town away, so I use to buy from there and the few used books stores around me. Then several years ago I discover Amazon.com and bought primarily from them, I was enthralled by their 4-for-3 paperback sale. Next came the Book Depository with their even cheaper prices. Now, I buy mainly ebooks, especially Kindle books. The introduction and recent years popularity of ebooks has enabled me to try a far bigger range of books that weren't available to me before and I LOVE it!

Tracey O'Hara said...

Lea - that is great you can get books in a different language. Another thing that the internet is great for. Being able to buy foreign language book to the country you live in. The book prices in Australia have always been high. We have a small market here.

Tracey O'Hara said...

Donna - eBooks have really blossomed over the last year. And I really like the way I can get the book immediately.

Rubita said...

I buy books online, at used bookstores and basically anywhere I can get my paws on them. While I love the accessibility of ebooks, I'm really starting to miss new bricks and mortar bookstores because I love browsing for books. I went a Barnes & Noble yesterday (because all the Borders near me have closed) and the selection was poor, at best. The shelves were mostly filled with standard fare. Worse, there were two bays of front-facing new releases for every one bay of loosely packed library-style ones. I can understand that bookstores don't make money off browsers, but it still makes me sad to contemplate how many hours I'm going to have to travel just to find a well-stocked new bookstore.

RFTC Blog said...

I love going to bookstores, but none are that close to where I live so I've adapted to getting my books at the local Walmart of online.

iqb99@yahoo.com

Katie Dalton said...

I actually go to Target to get as many of the latest releases as I can find. That saves me $2 or more on the cover price from Borders. BUT if no one else has it and I need it asap I will break down and shop at the big store.

Aside from that, online shopping saves me money too.

Cathy M said...

I've gotten into the ebook habit for most of my reading, though I will buy a paperback of a book from a favorite author to have for my bookshelf. Then I usually order from Amazon.

caity_mackk at yahoo dot com

Maria said...

I'd like to say that I do a combination of both but the reality is that I mostly buy at Amazon/Borders/B&N online stores...the closest B&N is not convenient and while it's lovely inside...it doesn't really have that "sit around and browse" vibe to it...the Borders that was near me closed.

JenM said...

I used to love going to the bookstore and browsing. However, these days I have to admit that because I prefer to read on my kindle I almost never go to physical bookstores anymore. The only books I still buy in physical format are cookbooks, travel books, or reference books. I have wrist repetitive stress injuries and I find that it is so much easier to hold an ebook reader than a physical book. I also love being able to buy books anytime and being able to carry my whole library with me anywhere I go. I feel bad that bookstores are going out of business but personally, I don't ever want to go back to having to read physical books.

jen at delux dot com

Sheree said...

I still go to the bookstore for my browsing and most of my buying. Yes, I have a Kindle and I also started reading romances as ebooks in the first place. Still, I find that I'd rather read novellas and shorter fare on the Kindle; I take so long to read ebooks that I have often forgotten the beginning of books by the time I get to the end - something that doesn't happen when I read paper books (which only takes about 2 days for me to finish). Go figure.

I do buy some paper books (mostly pre-orders or anything the store didn't have) online but mostly my online book purchases are for ebooks.

ironss [at] gmail [dot] com

Janhvi said...

there are just soo many fabulous books i want to read but buying a hard copy every time makes it difficult as my book shelves are getting excessively crowded..so for me its a combination of both online reading and buying books as well.


justjanhvi at gmail dot com

Sharon Stogner said...

What a great deal on your book! If you love UF, this is a fun book to read. So go buy it people...

anyway, I read a lot of ebooks because of the price. When you read as many books as I do, you got to save somewhere. I still buy paperbooks when I can. I pre ordered some from Book Depository and look for sales at Borders. Mostly ebooks, though.

The only drawback with ebooks is the loss of covers. I have become such a cover lover. I want to frame each one I see . That is why swag has become so important to me. I can have a picture of the cover to go with my ebook.

Sharon Stogner said...

don't put me in the drawing. I have an ecopy already (of course )

Mel said...

I spent some time in Australia a few years ago and was shocked at how much books were there! At the time I was travelling and couldn't afford those prices to feed the need so I would borrow and swap from hostels, but still spent time wandering the stores in most of the towns i visited.

These days I try and mix my book shopping by spending time browsing in the physical stores for new books and ordering them online for the price saving. I also have a kindle and while I love the convinience, it doesn't feel real sometimes as a paper book under my hands...I have to confess to being a book stroker while reading! :-)

Mel S
notanotherbookblog(at)hotmail(dot)co(dot)uk

SandyG265 said...

Since the Borders by my house closed earlier this year I've been buying most of my books in Kindle format.

sgiden at verizon.net

Cate said...

I love to buy in the stores. i love browsing the aisle.

throuthehaze said...

They closed the Waldenbooks and B Dalton store by my house a couple years ago and since then I have only bought from online because it is more convenient.
throuthehaze at gmail dot com

heatwave16 said...

I use to buy all my books at Borders, but with mine closing, I'm thinking I am going to switch to Amazon. We still have a Barnes & Noble, but I never liked it as well as Borders.

heatwave96(at)hotmail.com

Tracey O'Hara said...

Thanks so much for all these wonderful comments - I will announce the winners tomorrow when the book does on sale. :)

Stephanie M said...

I do a combination of both. I usually buy hardbacks online because they are usually priced a lot cheaper there than at the stores. I still buy paperback books in the stores though and can browse for hours in a book store.

smccar1 at hotmail dot com

Karen said...

This is a tough one for me. I LOVE paper copies of books. In fact, I have my own library of them (I don't think my local library has bought a new book in 20 years). I have a bookshelf that stretches the entire 13 feet of my living room wall & its jammed full. I'm going to add shelves to my family room next. (Don't tell my husband - lol.)

But I also have an e-reader & while I thought I would hate it, I find it very convenient. I buy books from authors I've never tried & inexpensive books for it (under $5). It's like a library in my purse. In addition, I've begun adding my favorite books to it. (I also buy the paper copies of books I like to my real library.)

I HATE the idea that bookstores and paper books will disappear. I hope I'm not alive to see it. There's something about a bookstore & real books that's magical - the smell of the books, the feel of the paper, the weight of them in your hand. I go to the bookstore when I need to de-stress. Its a comforting place.

Jessica @ a GREAT read said...

I prefer going to the bookstore myself! I like the paperback book. I use to always carry one around in my purse at school so that I could read it no matter where I am. And yeah, totally love the smell of books too!!

Although I have been doing some online shopping, but it's still at Borders.com. Normally I wouldn't bother because on release day I want to read the book now, not 3-8 days after the release day. But when they keep putting the books on sale at such good prices I can't pass it up. Looking for a job at the moment I don't have income, so the deals are hard to pass up. Borders still gets my money though!

Just yesterday I did go out to Borders, not my nearby one either, and bought a book in store. Even walked around for a bit because I looove going to the bookstore. I can browse for awhile too. Annoys whoever I'm with so I try to only browse when I'm by myself!

jessbess2505[at]yahoo[dot]com

**ha ha! My capa code word or whatever the word verification's called is "readhee" read hee! Hee-hee!

emitchellwrites said...

Combination for sure. Mostly in store to be honest. I only preorder the must-haves and get ebooks online. I love wandering around a bookstore, knowing or not what I want, and leaving with three times what I planned on getting.

buffysfx@gmail.com

Thanks for the giveaway!