Book stores as well. And I don’t buy the crap that everyone buys on-line now. People will always love perusing books and magazines.
Two giant Barnes & Noble stores just shut down in my area. Borders went under several years ago.
I have been an avid reader for 54 years. I go through several novels/month.
While I will buy a used paper book for .50/ea at my favorite thrift store and sometimes splurge on a discounted hardbound for 4.99 at Walmart, ALL my reading now is on a Kindle.
Why is it crap because it is online? I can read the first 10% of any book I buy at Amazon by clicking “Look Inside”. I can also browse reviews at the sale site and then search for other reviews, all within just a few minutes.
I have access to books that are free on promotion and others that cost me $1-$6, as opposed to dead tree versions of the same books that often retail for $25 or even more.
If I previously bought a physical book on Amazon, I can also download an electronic version for free. I can also share them with another Kindle owner.
I am a genre reader and so, I am happy about all the indie authors available online. Some stink. Others are awesome. I am able to make informed decisions I was not as capable of making when all that was available were the physical books selected for publication by the publishing companies.
The online indie market is a godsend for the new author. They can publish, offer their work to the world and utilize the feedback via sales and reviews to improve. In this horrid economy, all an author needs today is time and an idea. The author gets 70% of the sale price. None of their profits support corporate structures. Their work does not languish in a slush pile. They have no need of a literary agent. If the book is popular, it will be solicited by a physical publisher and/or a film studio. I even watch a fair number of indie films these days, via Netflix. Some are great. Some aren’t. But they are not made by large studios and often cover subjects the liberal studios ignore.
As a conservative, I especially appreciate that an ebook can be politically incorrect. For example, our own Travis McGee’s work, which may or may not have been published by standard means, but which have reached millions by virtue of the online venues. (pinging Matt so he can comment from a successful author’s POV)
Everyone DOES buy online. Magazines are available digitally, every single one of them. And they are filled with the same formulaic crap they are in clay-coated glossy color format. They are loss leaders and often offered free or at very low prices compared to the physical copies. The bookstores shut down because they simply can’t compete with the same book being sold for much less in digital format.
Finally, I used to have to travel 45 miles one way to even find a bookstore. When my reading habit reached $50/month, I had to cut back. Then I discovered Amazon and was into 4-for-3 paperbacks and the occasional new hard bound or trade paperback for $15. Then, THAT became too expensive. I would read online via my computer, which is not relaxing. My Kindle goes to any place I want to read that isn’t wet (which what I buy the paperbacks for).
Book stores as well. And I don’t buy the crap that everyone buys on-line now.
But it is true. All book stores will be close by 2025 except old antique book stores. I guess you were saying the same with Blockbuster....oh people aren’t using Amazon Instant Video and Netflix a few years ago. Technology changes buying habits big time and book stores are soon to go.
You're right. The last book I bought was a real book - hard cover, not even paperback. Reading it now.
There are (at least) 3 things available online that I'm just not a big fan of, I'd rather have in-hand: crossword puzzles, sudoku puzzles, and books. I've got a Kindle app on my tablet and I've read a couple of books on it. It is convenient, and easier to carry than say taking several books...but the paper page is better.
Staples and others - victims of the obama "recovery" ... If this is what a recovery looks like, boy am I glad we're not still circling the drain...
They might have had a chance if they offered good discounts. On Amazon, you can always find a book discounted, or used, or in digital form.