Sci-Fi novelist Walter Jon Williams explores the collapse of Borders Bookstores, especially in terms of its effects on writers and publishers, and his conclusion isn’t all that optimistic:
How many more Publishing Apocalypses can we writers stand?
Writers and publishers — already reeling from a publishing world turned upside down — will take a hit due to Borders’ collapse, but don’t forget the publishing industry was stumbling before ebook markets exploded, and Borders was… well… stupid.
Their online strategy consisted mostly of sticking their fingers in their ears, and what online assets they did have were simply relabeled versions of other people’s stuff.
This Publitariat blog article assembles snippets from other articles which detailed some pretty appalling management decisions.
For example, rather than send most of their classical music CDs to the metropolitan areas — where demand for classical music was highest — Borders distributed them evenly around the country, shorting fans in metro areas and paying for inventory that was never going to move in rural areas.
Stupid.
And based on this Slate article, “stupid” extended across the enterprise.
The ebook didn’t kill Borders, Borders killed Borders.
And while the publishing industry continues to thrash about in the face of ebooks, I’m going to make a couple of admittedly personal observations about ebooks:
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I bought (and read) more books in the last six months (since buying a Nook reader) than I did in the prior two dead-tree years
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I bought several of those ebooks largely as a show of support for a specific writer — something I’d never do with an expensive hardback
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Ebooks offer more pricing and delivery options than print; that translates to promotional and marketing flexibility, a good thing when you’re trying to hook new readers on a writer’s work
Watching 10,700 workers hit the unemployment lines in a recession that seemingly won’t end (unless you’re a CEO) is not pleasing to the eye, but it’s what happens when the corporate IQ falls below “should be handling sharp objects” level.
The blunders we’e seeing in publishing these days seem to be variations on “it’s always been profitable to do it this way, so it’ll always keep on being profitable to do it this way.” With the usual results.
Without the disruptive innovations of digital publishing, booksellers, distributors, and publishers could have probably continued bumbling their way along for years without a problem, kicking the can ever further down the road. Like you say, the source of the problem isn’t the InterWebz, it’s in the boardroom.
Paul Lagasse(Quote) (Reply)
Change is never easy, especially when you’re supporting a relatively expensive production chain aimed at print; even if a publisher was committed to digital, they’re going to suffer for a while during the (painful) transition.
Their attempts to enforce the somewhat rapacious ebook royalty split is less forgivable…
TC(Quote) (Reply)
I visited a Borders over the weekend. I paid almost $3 more with a 20 percent discount for a Romance book from a local author than I could have purchased online. I searched through a pile and snagged a signed copy. Of course, I couldn’t do that online. It’s sad.
Stacy S. Jensen(Quote) (Reply)
As an author I have already mourned the passing of my publisher. My tears have run dry for the old order and I shall shed none for Borders.
Evolution has always, and will always, mean weaker species will pass away in favour of stronger species.
I have evolved. I am now an Indie author on Kindle and proud of it. My dead-tree days are over. The king is dead, long live the new king.
AJ Barnett(Quote) (Reply)
Maybe you could if you ordered the book direct from the author; I suspect signed copies are one way writers will try to differentiate themselves, though I guess we’re waiting for signed ebooks to appear…
Don’t get too comfortable; that Kindle is a closed, proprietary system, and Amazon might find itself besieged by a more open alternative (I heard that the Nook outsold the Kindle the last couple months, yet more than a few Indie authors seem to be ignoring Google eBooks, Barnes & Noble, etc…)
TC(Quote) (Reply)
I’m putting my money with e-publishing. As a younger writer who has grown up in the digital age, I suppose I have a natural tendency toward it. But, on the other hand, I do love going inside book stores and picking up the books and thumbing through them. I always imagined getting on those shelves. My guess is the shelves will still be around when I’m an old man. But e-books will dominate, and that’s where I bet I’ll publish most of my stuff, if I’m worthy.
Chris Bradley(Quote) (Reply)
Chris Bradley,
It’s hard to know where the book/ebook/other mix will end up; you have to figure ebooks and print on demand (POD) will chew up a big portion of the market, but how much?
It’s chic to say “print is dead” but that’s clearly not true. Last I checked, dedicated ereaders still cost too much money and tablets and smartphones have tend to run out of power when you’re a page away from the big reveal, and one thing you can do with that book is buy it at the airport, read it, then pass it on to someone else.
I do find myself wondering if hardbacks are taking a bigger hit than paperbacks in the face of ebook sales, which in some cases are outstripping hardbook sales in new releases…
TC(Quote) (Reply)
TC,
There’s also this little problem: Dedicated readers are likely dead, like the 8-track cassette. http://www.maximumtech.com/12-technologies-brink-disappearing Of course, you have to buy into that author’s assumptions, but for technology, it seems he’s got a good bead on things…
Mitchell White(Quote) (Reply)
It’s possible the dedicated ebook reader will eventually disappear, but its purpose will be taken up by something in a similar format.
And to be blunt, his article didn’t impress.
The Color Nook ereader is essentially an Android tablet PC (even has a few apps available), but all tablets suffer from weight issues (they’re hard to hold and read like an ereader) and power problems (on my recent trip, our iPad would have run out of power before I ran out of book).
No matter what they’re read on, ebooks will continue to take a bigger chunk of the market.
TC(Quote) (Reply)