Earlier this month, at the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association trade show, bookstore owner Carol Besse made a speech calling upon her peers to join forces against Amazon.com or risk eradication. Her suggestions included a “grassroots effort to re-educate every author” until they stop linking to Amazon on their web pages, and reminding customers about why they should shop at local indies rather than order books online. (Oh, boy: lectures! Those are always strong motivators; as we observed last week, when we hear the word “re-educate,” we reach for our car keys.) Reaction to a Publishers Weekly article about the speech was mixed; as one bookseller summed up the problem, “There just aren”t enough people willing to support an independent bookstore just because they love them when the things they want, at the price they’re willing to pay, at the time of day they want to shop, are available somewhere else.” One small publisher was even more brutal: “What have the independent bookstores done for us lately?”
Freelance writer/editor Helen Ginger continues the conversation at her blog this week, urging her blog’s readers to support indies through the current economic crisis (if they still plan to buy books): “You’re already going to be spending the money, so why not do something that might help one independent bookstore from having to close its doors?” The comments bring in some very thoughtful perspectives—for example, the argument that “chains and big boxes” don’t kill small bookstores, but raise cultural awareness by increasing our access to books, particularly outside major metropolitan areas. On the other hand, it’s said that independent booksellers can be more immediately responsive to their community’s concerns and needs. Still, it all seems to come back to one simple point: “If independent bookstores want to compete, they have to provide value,” says one commenter. “They may not be able to compete on price, but they can compete on other things.” If you’ve got some thoughts on that, by all means share them with us…
