Friday: Indie Bookstores in the News

It's Friday again and this week presented several big (and exciting!) news stories related in indie bookstores. Here are my top three picks from the week:

In a surprising turn of events, Cooper Union has announced that they will be lowering the rent of St. Mark's Bookshop, allowing the store to stay in business. This is contrary to the announcement I posted last week, and is wonderful (if not particularly capitalistic) news. I've been following this story since the inception of the blog and have to say, I'm pretty pleased.

BlogHer ran an interesting story about Roxanne Coady, the owner of R.J. Julia Booksellers (pictured left) in Connecticut. It's a pretty inspirational read.

And finally, simply because I haven't posted anything about indie bookstores in the UK for awhile, the BBC published this article about The Book Barge. It's a travelling bookshop the owner is using to promote indie bookselling.

Quick Update: the Espresso Book Machine and NYC

Once again, the week has gotten away from me. I thought finally being home for a weekend might give me a chance to plan ahead a bit and prepare a few new posts. Instead, it meant running around doing errands I often go weeks without completing. Still, I did get a chance to stop by Politics and Prose, my favorite local indie bookstore. They have a new Espresso Book Machine (see image right)! I didn't get to see it in action, but these machines have great potential for indie bookstores. It gives them access to thousands of titles they may not have shelf space for, or that have been blacklisted. It also allows them to stock more books by indie presses and self-published authors. I'm hoping one of these days I'll get to catch the machine while its printing.

In other personal news, my job is sending me to New York City for the weekend, and I'm very

excited about doing a quick little bookstore tour. I have already been to Strand, and I'm certain I want to visit St. Marks. However, NYC is a major indie bookstore hub, and I know there are many more shops I need to visit. McNally Jackson is on the list, but I'm open to suggestions! I'm interested in seeing how some of the more niche stores operate (i.e., rare books, comic books, used shops, etc.), and would love to hear about any that are doing a particularly great job adjusting to the digital age.

Friday: Indie Bookstores in the News

I've been very MIA this week; with midterms and papers due, not to mention a crazy pickup at my job, I haven't really had too much time to devote to the blog. That said, I've been doing a lot thinking about indie bookstores. Especially with the big news that rent for St. Mark's Bookshop will not be reduced. I'll be in New York next week, and definitely plan to stop by since I've never been before and may never get to go again.

Still, things are not all bad for the indie bookstores of America. Brookline Booksmith (pictured left) in Boston will be celebrating its 50th Anniversary all next week.

Paid Content also ran a great article today about the rise of indie e-bookstores.

Although things have been a little insane, I have great ambitions for this blog next week. I want to talk about the Kramer Books in DC, discuss fixed book prices in other parts of the world, and plan a mini-bookstore tour for New York.

Friday: Indie Bookstores in the News

Bear with me as I try to write and post this on my phone. I'll be spending most of the day in transit, but I want to get this post out so I don't break tradition. So, without further ado, here are three big stories about indie bookselling in this week's news:

Yesterday metro media ran a great piece about the important role indies play in their communities.

On Wednesday, supportors of St. Marks Bookshop serenaded Cooper Union's president, pleading with him to save the store.

In today's New York Times, there is an article about WORD, a unique bookstore in Brooklyn that is all about building a community of book lovers.

Death of Indie Bookstores?

Publishing news over the last several months has been filled with news stories about bookstores closing across the country. With the second largest commercial bookstore chain closing its doors for the last time in September, many people are growing concerned about the fate of brick-and-mortar booksellers. While I never enjoyed Borders stores myself, finding them poorly designed and too impersonal, I have watched with interest as other stores struggle to keep their doors open.

Last month, my Twitter feed exploded with stories about the imminent closing of St. Mark's Bookshop in NYC, a store that could no longer afford it's rising rent. On September 12th, the New Yorker ran an article titled Should we Fight to Save Indie Bookstores? For the first time, I began to feel truly concerned about the fate of bookstores across the country.

I grew up in a suburb of Seattle, which has for years been included in the list of the most well-read cities in the US. Many hours of my youth were spent browsing local bookstores, most notably the famed Elliott Bay Book Company, one of the largest and most successful independent bookstores in the country. As I grew older, I often found myself in the most convenient bookstores (typically the local Barnes and Noble) and I made little effort to seek out independent establishments. But I have always been drawn to them-- their

individuality, their homeyness, and the way they try to foster a supportive community of book lovers.

The book world is undeniably changing. Every week I hear more statistics about the transition to digital reading. This change, like most change for me, is both thrilling and a little scary. Independent bookstores will need to find ways to adapt to the new world of books if they hope to survive the decade.

Through this blog, I want to explore the ways independent bookstores are (or are not) adapting to the digital shift. I'm interested to see which stores will survive, what changes will be made to their business models, and how they will bridge the gap between digital books and the services they provide. Because I live in Washington, DC, many of the bookstores I will visit and follow are local. Still, as I have opportunities to see other shops, I will post about them and provide commentary on any major news items related to independent bookstores as they begin the transition.

The Elliott Bay Book Company (below), image from 5 Magazine