I don't think used bookstores are going to do too good
June 05, 2012
– Comments (3)
So I got this Kindle Fire just before Christmas. And I've really come to like it, the reading experience is very pleasant and the Wifi download is very fast. And with Amazon Prime, there is a lot of stuff to read for free. And yesterday as I drove past the used bookstore that I have an account at, it hit me that I hadn't been in it since I got the Kindle. And realized that I probably won't be going back anytime soon. And that got me to thinking.
I suspect that niche bookstores that handle a very specific type of book will probably do ok. There will be lots of stuff that won't be converted to an ebook format and things like the 1954 edition of Jane's Fighting Ships will always have some value. Likewise for Science Fiction and various other specialty subjects. But I think the general run of used books stores are going to be hurting and eventually killed as more readers move to ebook use and the Guttenberg project gets more old texts on line. Eventually everything older than 75 years will be available free if anyone cares about it. I'm starting to get rid of books that I realize I never want to read again. I suspect this is part of a general trend.
Interestingly enough the game console companies look like they are going to put the squeeze on Gamestop by making it difficult to resell games. So I think they get slowly crushed too as people go to either the Angry Birds style of games on pad computers, or buy a license for Call Of Gears 14 at Amazon.
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