tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post8590985258307154035..comments2024-03-19T08:36:55.274+00:00Comments on The IPKat: The Death of Browsing; the Death of the Backlist; the Death of the Book Industry?Verónica Rodríguez Arguijohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05763207846940036921noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-83965463965766086092013-07-23T14:11:52.713+01:002013-07-23T14:11:52.713+01:00Further to my 12.26 comment and Marks 12.11 commen...Further to my 12.26 comment and Marks 12.11 comment:<br /><br />Firstly Neil thank you for a very interesting and thought provoking post. <br /><br />I happen to work in the music industry and the difficulties faced by literary publishers echo the music industry’s plight, in fact the music industry is probably even more affected by the move towards digital at this point in time.<br /><br />Bricks and mortar stores are the first port of call for “back catalogue” (or Long Tail) albums and with the demise of these stores record labels are selling much less back catalogue product. This sad fact is just another piece in the jigsaw that is the demise of the music industry, along with changing socio-economic trends, dastardly publishers, labels and collection societies unwilling to adapt to new technology and of course piracy.<br /><br />Aside from my family my two passions in life are books and music (in that order). Music first; I am an avid collector of “physical product” be it CD’s or Vinyl yet I also shop on iTunes and have a Spotify account. I have found that using iTunes and having a Spotify account hasn’t really slowed down my thirst for owning the physical product. I don't imagine however that I am an average consumer. Whether it is CD or Vinyl I like the space it takes up and I enjoy browsing through my collection for just the “right” album to suit the mood. <br /><br />With regard to books I have not so readily embraced the new tech available. Even more than my music collection my library is my pride and joy (grudgingly acknowledged by my family). I have a library of approximately 1,500 books, primarily paperback and primarily fiction. I simply cannot imagine my collection on a tablet or e-reader perched jauntily on the coffee table. I have an annoying habit of walking into a bookshop and emerging hours later blinking in the late afternoon light wondering where my family have disappeared to. Whether its new books, second shops or even charity stores I can get lost all to easily browsing for my next great read.<br /><br />All that said i agree with Mark that carrying Proust on my commute to and from work was a chore in and of itself, so perhaps there is space for and e-reader on my shelf after all.<br /><br />Steve<br /><br />Again thanks for an entertaining and insightful post.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-31509543665703502742013-07-23T13:11:17.315+01:002013-07-23T13:11:17.315+01:00I agree with anonymous 12:26, eReaders and eBooks ...I agree with anonymous 12:26, eReaders and eBooks would actually tend to increase both the range and the availability of the backlist. <br /><br />I think in digital music stores this is called 'the long tail' (quite appropriate for this site).<br /><br />As there are minimal overheads and a much larger market, it becomes feasable to 'stock' items that you might only sell one or two of a year.<br /><br />As for the browsing issue, I'm not wholly convinced that it is easier to browse in a physical bookshop than a virtual one. Virtual stores have links out to lists of associated books/recommendations/extracts of the books in question.<br /><br />While the pool you're dipping into is bigger the success (or otherwise) of online retailers depends almost wholly on how that content is curated, but there are enough blogs/apps(eg.Goodreads)/review sites that the more adventurous reader can still mine for gems.<br /><br />The availability of out of copyright works on eReaders for free (via Project Gutenberg for example) has also apparently massively increased the number of people reading these 'backlist' titles (although it's probably torpedoed some publishing house's profits in that area). I would have thought that with careful promotion publishers would still be able to take advantiage of 'in copyright' backlist titles to stay afloat.<br /><br />That said, although I have an eReader, I still tend towards physical bookshops & paperbooks rather than eBooks, but am finding readng Proust as an eBook far preferable to lugging around my weighty paper copy.<br /><br />It is the promotion and curating aspect of access to this vast backlist that'll make or break publishers, but there's ample opportunities there for the people who get it right.<br /><br />Mark Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-19985993220302308422013-07-23T12:26:11.992+01:002013-07-23T12:26:11.992+01:00I began shopping on Amazon 16 years ago and quite ...I began shopping on Amazon 16 years ago and quite the contrary to your view I have found that Amazon is actually the one place I know I can get many of the backlist titles that are just not available in my local shops (I live in Dublin) I would further suggest that most avid readers feel the same way as I do. Unless one happens to be in commuting distance to Waterstones on Piccadilly bricks and mortar book stores have long ago ceased to be the first port of call for a book not on the front list. <br /><br />I wonder what other ipkat readers views would be on the subject?<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-65258980256508276362013-07-22T16:08:06.729+01:002013-07-22T16:08:06.729+01:00Having backlist books in bookstores is also a remi...Having backlist books in bookstores is also a reminder that 'classics' exist and human knowledge is very much cumulative. The best book about love in the English language is unlikely to be one written in 2013.<br /><br />Also the bookstore scene in the film 'Notting Hill' is priceless and could not have been done in an online context.Sulemanhttp://www.hollyip.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-88601266924286227722013-07-19T15:54:00.625+01:002013-07-19T15:54:00.625+01:00Not a whisper of the Google effort to difitize all...Not a whisper of the Google effort to difitize all books...?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com