I think this is an exciting time for books - to be a reader, an author, a publisher, or a retailer. There is a new focus on learning, which means reading. Brick and mortar retailers have wisely made the bookstore a "destination" rather than a place to convert greenbacks into stacks of bound paper: bookstores are way more comfortable and fun than in my childhood. Online retailers have made any book accessible, and has given new life to the used-book market.
And it turns out that books, and the people who love them, are a grand opportunity to network with books. It's like the days of Usenet rec.arts.sf.written, but much better. In particular, I get a great tool that helps me describe what I read, and what I thought, and based on that description can connect me to others. Usenet never did that.
And internet retailing didn't stop with Amazon. People with great heart, skill, and determination are giving Amazon's book business a run for it's money.
2 comments:
Hey Josh-
Thanks for the kind words and the link. We're doing our best, and I agree that the demise of the written word has been greatly exaggerated. There is a tremendous amount of innovation still to happen in the bookselling business, and we're excited to play a part.
--Xavier
Co-Founder, Better World Books
Yeah.. Seriously thanks for the link..I love reading. Any book.. from fiction to non fiction, horror to comic to fairy tales..:)
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