# A sad commentary on the state of book selling **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [June 28, 2021, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sad-commentary-on-the-state-of-book-selling/945206 "2021-06-28T19:46:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sad-commentary-on-the-state-of-book-selling/945206/21 "2021-06-29T18:01:06Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > Summary: The problem has nothing to do with _used_ books; the problem is that fewer people are reading _books_ . Not so much - surveys on reading say that to the extent there are declines, the declines are not significant (especially not since 2011): [https://news.gallup.com/poll/201644/rumors-demise-books-greatly-exaggerated.aspx](https://news.gallup.com/poll/201644/rumors-demise-books-greatly-exaggerated.aspx) [Majority of Americans Are Still Reading Print Books | Pew Research Center](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2016/09/01/book-reading-2016/) ---
**Author:** ![DZedNConfused](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dzednconfused/32/15991_2.png) [@DZedNConfused](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DZedNConfused)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sad-commentary-on-the-state-of-book-selling/945206/22 "2021-06-29T18:42:52Z")
I buy the majority of my used books online through Abebooks. Our local Entertainmart has a lovely book section with used books at good prices but they are really the only decent used book store in my area. ---
**Author:** ![DZedNConfused](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dzednconfused/32/15991_2.png) [@DZedNConfused](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DZedNConfused)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sad-commentary-on-the-state-of-book-selling/945206/23 "2021-06-29T18:45:16Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > 70% of US adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years Maybe because bookstores are nearly non-existant in brick and mortar variety and ordering over the internet is the only way to get books? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sad-commentary-on-the-state-of-book-selling/945206/24 "2021-06-29T18:48:45Z")
> [@DZedNConfused](#): > > Maybe because bookstores are nearly non-existant in brick and mortar variety and ordering over the internet is the only way to get books? Oh, I’m sure that’s a big part of it, but also bear in mind that the next phrase in that article was, “80% of US families did not buy or read a book last year.” So, there seem to be multiple things going on: - Decline of the brick-and-mortar bookstore (both new and used) - Decline in purchasing books and in reading (that said, the source I found appears to disagree with the Pew Research source that @amarinth provided) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sad-commentary-on-the-state-of-book-selling/945206/25 "2021-06-29T18:49:42Z")
> [@DZedNConfused](#): > > Maybe because bookstores are nearly non-existant in brick and mortar variety and ordering over the internet is the only way to get books? Or vice versa. People ordering books over the internet may have been what caused bookstores to become nearly non-existent. ---
**Author:** ![DZedNConfused](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dzednconfused/32/15991_2.png) [@DZedNConfused](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DZedNConfused)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sad-commentary-on-the-state-of-book-selling/945206/26 "2021-06-29T19:02:02Z")
That is valid. I like ordering from Abebooks, I can decide on my price range and quality versus just having to take whatever ratty copy is on the shelf. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sad-commentary-on-the-state-of-book-selling/945206/27 "2021-06-29T19:02:12Z")
I worry about the problem of having all of our eggs in a single basket. It was already noted that Barnes and Noble is the only significant book store chain still operating in most of the country. Borders, B. Dalton, Waldenbooks, Coles, and Media Play are all gone. So we’re one corporation away from having no bookstores in most of the country. The same is true for online book sales. If Amazon goes bankrupt, there really isn’t another online seller on the horizon that will step up and replace it. It’s not just a case of the retail sellers going under. The publishing business relies on these retailers to keep them in business. If Amazon and B&N go out of business, the surviving small retail sellers will not be enough to keep publishers in business. This goes beyond books. Corporate monoculture is a serious problem. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sad-commentary-on-the-state-of-book-selling/945206/28 "2021-06-29T20:50:40Z")
Companies don’t just disappear, though. If Amazon goes bankrupt, or breaks apart, or whatever, there will still be someone with ownership of the bookselling part (or parts) of the business. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sad-commentary-on-the-state-of-book-selling/945206/29 "2021-06-29T21:32:12Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > You want depressing – Boston/Cambridge used to be filled with used book stores There’s an [excellent one](http://www.brattleborobooks.com/) in Brattleboro, if you want to take a day trip. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sad-commentary-on-the-state-of-book-selling/945206/30 "2021-06-29T21:37:26Z")
I just bought four used books from Alibris (I refuse to patronize the Amazon subsidiary Abe Books). They were from four different smaller sellers. Only one cost more than the shipping ($3.99). ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sad-commentary-on-the-state-of-book-selling/945206/31 "2021-06-29T22:02:07Z")
One of my favorite places on earth is John King Used & Rare Books in Detroit. Four floors, each one overflowing with used books (over a million of them). If you’re ever in the area you owe it to yourself to visit. You can spend a day there (and want to come back tomorrow). [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/frZgF0t.jpeg "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/frZgF0t) [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/DJzxlV3.jpeg "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/DJzxlV3) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sad-commentary-on-the-state-of-book-selling/945206/32 "2021-06-29T22:16:22Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Companies don’t just disappear, though. If Amazon goes bankrupt, or breaks apart, or whatever, there will still be someone with ownership of the bookselling part (or parts) of the business. Not sure what you’re saying here. Companies obviously disappear. It’s the topic of this thread. There’s nothing that says somebody else will step in and keep Amazon’s book selling business going if the current owners stop doing it. Sometimes when a business stops operating the only thing that remains is empty buildings. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sad-commentary-on-the-state-of-book-selling/945206/33 "2021-06-29T22:29:25Z")
Not sure how big Rochester is. In my small Canadian college city, the number of used bookstores is now approximately ten, down from about sixteen. This does not include maybe five thrift stores that sell other things - but enough donated books that they still have significant sections with thousands on their shelves. Most of the six or so stores selling new books are academic or in the decent Chapters/Coles chain. Many never read, but I doubt the numbers are as bad as in the US. Wonder what they are. I suspect most Canadian graduates do read once in a while, though book store attendance is probably middling. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sad-commentary-on-the-state-of-book-selling/945206/34 "2021-06-29T22:32:15Z")
As a book reseller who does most of my sales online, and the rest in an antique mall booth, I know that the B&M used bookstores have to have some kind of niche market to stay solvent, which can also be said about just about any other independent business. We have one that has been in business, in the same place, since the early 1930s, and nowadays, they stay afloat by selling games and DVDs, and also have an online business for rare items. It was actually owned by the same family all these years, until shortly before COVID came along and a man in his 20s bought the business because the owner, who was in his 70s, wanted to retire. The COVID shutdown was actually not entirely a bad thing, because it allowed them to have a smoother transition, and they also never shut down the online store. The items available online are actually for sale in the store, behind the counter, and if someone buys one, they simply go online and take it out of that inventory. The library I volunteer at is having a book sale next month, and right now, we seem to be getting a LOT of coffee-table books. We also work with an auctioneer in a nearby city, and a few years ago, we sold a mid-20th century art book that we didn’t think was all that valuable for $4,000. That was quite a pleasant surprise. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sad-commentary-on-the-state-of-book-selling/945206/35 "2021-06-29T22:35:03Z")
This place was a pleasant surprise, and then some, when I passed through this town of 5,000 a few years ago. I expected a small downtown storefront, and instead was directed to a large tobacco barn. > **[About - Driftless Books & Music](https://driftlessbooks.com/)** > > ABOUT THE BUILDING info here…. EDDY NIX info here…. KIDS AREA info here…. PRESS info here…. FUTURE VISIONS info here…. DONATE info here…. LOCAL RESOURCES info here…. REFERENCE info here…. JOIN US info here…. It must be seen to be believed. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2021, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sad-commentary-on-the-state-of-book-selling/945206/36 "2021-06-30T03:40:41Z")
An Economist article says in Britain, the pandemic has caused 40% of people (and 50% of women) to read more. It said the reading was both entertainment and directed towards increasing skills. (The article also claimed 25% of people no longer fit in their jeans due to pandemic factors). ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2021, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sad-commentary-on-the-state-of-book-selling/945206/37 "2021-06-30T03:45:57Z")
There sure are a lot of used booksellers online. I know, because that’s where I buy most of my books now. There’s no way a small, local bookstore could supply that quantity or variety. From the consumer’s POV, this is progress. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2021, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sad-commentary-on-the-state-of-book-selling/945206/38 "2021-06-30T09:48:31Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > (The article also claimed 25% of people no longer fit in their jeans due to pandemic factors) I went down a size. Yay me for going against the grain once again! I haven’t read a book in a few years. I get so much of my entertainment from online now, I just turn there when I have a spare 30 minutes instead. After I move house later this year, hopefully to live alone again, I plan to proactively try to correct that, as I used to love reading books. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2021, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sad-commentary-on-the-state-of-book-selling/945206/39 "2021-06-30T10:14:18Z")
Speaking solely for myself, ever since I’ve started reading books on my phone, I’ve been reading a lot more. The book is always right there in front of me! And if I like it, I can read other books by the author right away. I’ve never binged book series like I do now, not even when I was a teenager. (Plus, I can make the font real big, which at my age I kinda need). ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2021, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sad-commentary-on-the-state-of-book-selling/945206/40 "2021-06-30T12:11:44Z")
> [@jaycat](#): > > There’s an [excellent one](http://www.brattleborobooks.com/) in Brattleboro, if you want to take a day trip. That’s a bit of a ride, but it’s true that I’ve been traveling long distances, frequently out of state, to get to both new and used bookstores. Over the previous weekend I noticed that another of my favorite used bookstores in NH closed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sad-commentary-on-the-state-of-book-selling/945206.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sad-commentary-on-the-state-of-book-selling/945206.md?page=3)