In a gloomy post, TechCrunch predicted that bookstores will be virtually extinct by 2018. The Future Of Books: A Dystopian Timeline also imagined a “great culling of publishers” in 2019.
What do you think? Extrapolating from the rapid growth of eBooks and declines in print sales, the post took a dark view of print books. Here are a few excerpts:
“2015 – The death of the Mom and Pops. Smaller book stores will use the real estate to sell coffee and Wi-Fi. Collectable bookstores will still exist in the margins.”
“2018 – The last Barnes & Noble store converts to a cafe and digital access point.”
“2019 – B&N and Amazon’s publishing arms – including self-pub – will dwarf all other publishing.”