Comments on: Rx for future bookstores: E/P synergies, sample reading, cross promos and partnerships galore http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/rx-for-future-bookstores-ep-synergies-sample-reading-cross-promos-and-partnerships-galore/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:30:41 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: pond http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/rx-for-future-bookstores-ep-synergies-sample-reading-cross-promos-and-partnerships-galore/comment-page-1/#comment-1154900 pond Sat, 30 Jan 2010 14:15:12 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/12/24/rx-for-future-bookstores-ep-synergies-sample-reading-cross-promos-and-partnerships-galore/#comment-1154900 Good piece, and all good ideas. Bottom line is that when an industry (such as bookstores) is challenged, and shrinking, innovation is a key. I like the idea of the bookstore/coffeeshop; put in a club card and give all club members one free cup of coffee a week. Just try everything you can to get regular customers coming in at regular intervals. The Espresso bookmachine, it seems to me, needs some sort of instore preview feature. A bookstore's main advantage over catalog or mail order or online store is that you can browse the books. Amazon Kindle's free preview feature is an attempt to match that. I think the bookstore with the Espresso machine ought to try to match that, too. But get new ideas in there. Good piece, and all good ideas. Bottom line is that when an industry (such as bookstores) is challenged, and shrinking, innovation is a key. I like the idea of the bookstore/coffeeshop; put in a club card and give all club members one free cup of coffee a week. Just try everything you can to get regular customers coming in at regular intervals.

The Espresso bookmachine, it seems to me, needs some sort of instore preview feature. A bookstore’s main advantage over catalog or mail order or online store is that you can browse the books. Amazon Kindle’s free preview feature is an attempt to match that. I think the bookstore with the Espresso machine ought to try to match that, too.

But get new ideas in there.

]]> By: ficbot http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/rx-for-future-bookstores-ep-synergies-sample-reading-cross-promos-and-partnerships-galore/comment-page-1/#comment-1151582 ficbot Fri, 25 Dec 2009 23:17:55 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/12/24/rx-for-future-bookstores-ep-synergies-sample-reading-cross-promos-and-partnerships-galore/#comment-1151582 Thanks for commenting, Rob. I do think we will continue to see retail shelf space devoted to books, but I think it will start to evolve into focusing more on fancy books which can't be read on a paperback-sized screen. Those have higher profit margins anyway, I think :) Look at toy stores, they still stock the 'classic' toys, but they stock electronic ones too and nobody was up in arms over that... Thanks for commenting, Rob. I do think we will continue to see retail shelf space devoted to books, but I think it will start to evolve into focusing more on fancy books which can’t be read on a paperback-sized screen. Those have higher profit margins anyway, I think :) Look at toy stores, they still stock the ‘classic’ toys, but they stock electronic ones too and nobody was up in arms over that…

]]> By: Rob Preece, BooksForABuck.com http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/rx-for-future-bookstores-ep-synergies-sample-reading-cross-promos-and-partnerships-galore/comment-page-1/#comment-1151530 Rob Preece, BooksForABuck.com Thu, 24 Dec 2009 19:03:04 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/12/24/rx-for-future-bookstores-ep-synergies-sample-reading-cross-promos-and-partnerships-galore/#comment-1151530 I think the 'bookstore' of the future is a coffee shop with free wi-fi. No need for any of the other fluff (although they may make some money selling gifts). The key is to make it comfortable for people to sit around and read. A zillion feet of shelf space is too much cost for the bookstore of the future to absorb. Rob Preece Publisher I think the ‘bookstore’ of the future is a coffee shop with free wi-fi. No need for any of the other fluff (although they may make some money selling gifts). The key is to make it comfortable for people to sit around and read. A zillion feet of shelf space is too much cost for the bookstore of the future to absorb.

Rob Preece
Publisher

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