Article of the Week: E-Books, Shmee-Books: Readers Return to the Stores

E-Books, Shmee-Books: Readers Return to the Stores

The book business may not be dead yet.  So far Christmas sales have beat expectations and readers are returning to bookstores.   Reports indicate that sales “have been lifted by an unusually vibrant selection; customers who seem undeterred by pricier titles; and new business from people who used to shop at Borders, the chain that went out of business this year.”  According to the American Booksellers Association, independent bookstores saw sales increase “16 percent in the week including Thanksgiving, compared with the same period a year ago.”

However, some in the industry fear that the expected holiday sales of new e-readers and tablets from Barnes & Noble and Amazon will derail the return to bookstores.  “Nevertheless, booksellers and publishers said they were still hoping that there would be a healthy enough interest in print books that the two formats could coexist.”