* Ebook agency sales model under fire from the Department of Justice. The DoJ is planning on suing Apple and five of the big six US publishers for anti-trust statute violations stemming from their adoption of the "agency model" for ebook sales. The results of this dispute are liable to shape bookselling for publishers, authors, readers and booksellers for a long time to come. Details here http://tinyurl.com/8yodqll and here http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203961204577267831767489216.html .
* Don't miss the Borderlands Spring Rummage Sale coming up May 12th! When you keep a store in one space for more than ten years, all sorts of interesting stuff tends to accumulate, so come and look for bargains on cool and bizarre things that ended up in the basement. More details to follow in next month's newsletter.
* Thanks to Locus Magazine for the following: author Frank Robinson is auctioning off his entire mind-blowing collection of pulp magazines, "including complete files of all science fiction magazines from 1926 through 1990. Condition on the items is “near mint” to “mint,” and titles include such gems as Amazing Stories, Miracle Science and Fantasy, SCOOPS (the first British science fiction magazine, from 1932) and more. Included are the first Arkham editions of Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard. For more information, contact gunnison@adventurehouse.com."
* Del Rey Spectra and Suvudu are calling for fan art to enhance their science fiction and fantasy characters' cage match! (This time there are 64 characters involved.) I don't even know how to begin explaining this to you, so I'm just going to link to it: http://sf-fantasy.suvudu.com/2012/02/cage-match-2012-call-for-art.html
* J.K. Rowling's next book will be an adult book, and a radical departure from Harry Potter: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/book-news/deals/article/50754-j-k-rowling-inks-deal-with-little-brown-for-adult-book.html?utm_source=Publishers+Weekly%27s+PW+Daily&utm_campaign=0c8492380b-UA-15906914-1&utm_medium=email
* Congratulations to the 2011 Nebula Nominees! The complete list is here: http://www.sfwa.org/2012/02/2011-nebula-awards-nominees-announced/
* Two "A Game of Thrones" Season Two trailers! (1) http://sciencefictionworld.com/tv/fantasy-tv/961-new-trailer-for-game-of-thrones-season-two.html , (2) http://sciencefictionworld.com/tv/fantasy-tv/979-new-game-of-thrones-trailer.html
* Deeply disturbing: THE SHINING mashed up with "Toy Story" for "Toy Shining": http://kylelambert.co.uk/gallery/toyshining/index.html
March 01, 2012
February Bestsellers
Hardcovers
1. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
2. Distrust That Particular Flavor by William Gibson
3. Orb Sceptre Throne by Ian Cameron Esslemont
4. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
5. Blue Remembered Earth by Alastair Reynolds
6. Nested Scrolls by Rudy Rucker
7. The Mirage by Matt Ruff
8. Reamde by Neal Stephenson
9. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
10. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Mass Market Paperbacks
1. The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi
2. Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
3. Apocalypse to Go by Katharine Kerr
4. After the Golden Age by Carrie Vaughn
5. Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
6. Soulless by Gail Carriger
7. Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire
8. Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
9. Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
10. The Great Game by Lavie Tidhar
Trade Paperbacks
1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
2. Embassytown by China Mieville
3. Orb Sceptre Throne by Ian Cameron Esslemont
4. City of the Lost by Stephen Blackmoore
5. Surfing the Gnarl Plus . . . by Rudy Rucker
1. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
2. Distrust That Particular Flavor by William Gibson
3. Orb Sceptre Throne by Ian Cameron Esslemont
4. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
5. Blue Remembered Earth by Alastair Reynolds
6. Nested Scrolls by Rudy Rucker
7. The Mirage by Matt Ruff
8. Reamde by Neal Stephenson
9. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
10. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Mass Market Paperbacks
1. The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi
2. Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
3. Apocalypse to Go by Katharine Kerr
4. After the Golden Age by Carrie Vaughn
5. Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
6. Soulless by Gail Carriger
7. Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire
8. Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
9. Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
10. The Great Game by Lavie Tidhar
Trade Paperbacks
1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
2. Embassytown by China Mieville
3. Orb Sceptre Throne by Ian Cameron Esslemont
4. City of the Lost by Stephen Blackmoore
5. Surfing the Gnarl Plus . . . by Rudy Rucker
Why Best Sellers Matter
by Alan Beatts
The New York Times Best Seller list has been produced every week since 1942. Even with massive influence on book buying habits by Amazon, a Stanford Business School analysis strongly suggests that most book buyers look to the Times list for book purchase suggestions. Although the effect of getting a book on that list is not huge for well-established authors, it can make the career of a new or previously mid-list author. Making the list leads directly to larger advance payments, bigger print runs, and greater publicity expenditures for later books, not to mention much higher sales numbers for the current book and the consequent greater royalty payments.
Short of prestigious awards like the Pulitzer or Nobel Prize, there is probably nothing that can have a greater instant effect on an author's future and income.
The exact details of how placement calculation is performed for the Times list is a trade secret, kept by the News Surveys department of that paper. Even the staff of the Book Reviews section, which publishes the list, doesn't know how it is calculated. In general however, each week sales figures are collected from a selection of independent and chain bookstores (of which Borderlands is one), along with other sales outlets such as drug stores, supermarkets and gift shops. Wholesalers are also included but the figures are weighted so that the final figure is based more on books sold to actual readers, rather than the number of books shipped to stores (which might languish on the shelves for a month or more before being returned). A result is the Times list's reputation as one of the best, if not the best, measures of a book's immediate popularity.
The New York Times Best Seller list has been produced every week since 1942. Even with massive influence on book buying habits by Amazon, a Stanford Business School analysis strongly suggests that most book buyers look to the Times list for book purchase suggestions. Although the effect of getting a book on that list is not huge for well-established authors, it can make the career of a new or previously mid-list author. Making the list leads directly to larger advance payments, bigger print runs, and greater publicity expenditures for later books, not to mention much higher sales numbers for the current book and the consequent greater royalty payments.
Short of prestigious awards like the Pulitzer or Nobel Prize, there is probably nothing that can have a greater instant effect on an author's future and income.
The exact details of how placement calculation is performed for the Times list is a trade secret, kept by the News Surveys department of that paper. Even the staff of the Book Reviews section, which publishes the list, doesn't know how it is calculated. In general however, each week sales figures are collected from a selection of independent and chain bookstores (of which Borderlands is one), along with other sales outlets such as drug stores, supermarkets and gift shops. Wholesalers are also included but the figures are weighted so that the final figure is based more on books sold to actual readers, rather than the number of books shipped to stores (which might languish on the shelves for a month or more before being returned). A result is the Times list's reputation as one of the best, if not the best, measures of a book's immediate popularity.
February 01, 2012
February News Roundup
* Charlie Jane Anders (of Writers With Drinks, Other Magazine, and i09.com fame) has organized a San Francisco Bookstore and Chocolate Crawl for Sunday, February 26th! It starts at noon at Green Apple Books on Clement and ends at Modern Times Books on Florida Street, with stops in between at various book shops and purveyors of chocolate including Borderlands at 4:45 pm! Complete details here: https://www.facebook.com/events/200529393378320/
* The Custom Made Theatre Company, who are producing the stage play of Cory Doctorow's "Little Brother", have extended the play's run through the end of February. See it, if you haven't yet -- it's really extraordinary. http://www.custommade.org/tickets
* The deadlines for application to Clarion West are fast approaching. The upcoming session (June 17 to July 27) will be taught by Mary Rosenblum, Hiromi Goto, George R.R. Martin, Connie Willis, Kelly Link and Gavin Grant, and Chuck Palahniuk. For more information visit their website at http://www.clarionwest.org.
* Author Jim C. Hines recreates the poses from his (and other peoples') book covers & it is hilarious! Thanks, i09. http://io9.com/5875868/fantasy-author-recreates-fantasy-novel-cover-poses-with-hilarious-results
* Lots of genre novels, including GOOD OMENS by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, are among the list of 25 books selected to be given away during World Book Night. "Now in its second year, the event will take place on 23 April, marking both Unesco’s International Day Of The Book and Shakespeare’s birthday. Some 20,000 members of the public will be chosen to give away copies of their favourite title from the list, with one million books being distributed at venues including hostels, pubs and hospitals in a bid to boost reading." For complete details, and the rest of the list, which also features THE PLAYER OF GAMES by Iain M. Banks, MISERY by Stephen King, and LET THE RIGHT ONE IN by John Ajvde Lindqvist, see http://www.terrypratchett.co.uk/?p=974.
* Stephen Colbert interviews Maurice Sendak, who is deadpan perfection. Hilarity ensues. http://www.hulu.com/watch/322712/the-colbert-report-grim-colberty-tales-with-maurice-sendak-part-1 Part 2 follows. Sorry for the ads, which are un-skipable.
* We're sorry to report the death of author Christopher Samuel Youd, (who used the pseudonym John Christopher, among several others) at the age of 89. Youd was the prolific author of THE DEATH OF GRASS, The Tripod trilogy, and many others. You can find his obituary in the UK's Guardian newspaper here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/feb/06/john-christopher-samuel-youd
* Sadly, Dick Tufield, the voice of the "Lost in Space" robot, has also passed away at the age of 85. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/dick-tufeld-voice-lost-space-284500
* The Custom Made Theatre Company, who are producing the stage play of Cory Doctorow's "Little Brother", have extended the play's run through the end of February. See it, if you haven't yet -- it's really extraordinary. http://www.custommade.org/tickets
* The deadlines for application to Clarion West are fast approaching. The upcoming session (June 17 to July 27) will be taught by Mary Rosenblum, Hiromi Goto, George R.R. Martin, Connie Willis, Kelly Link and Gavin Grant, and Chuck Palahniuk. For more information visit their website at http://www.clarionwest.org.
* Author Jim C. Hines recreates the poses from his (and other peoples') book covers & it is hilarious! Thanks, i09. http://io9.com/5875868/fantasy-author-recreates-fantasy-novel-cover-poses-with-hilarious-results
* Lots of genre novels, including GOOD OMENS by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, are among the list of 25 books selected to be given away during World Book Night. "Now in its second year, the event will take place on 23 April, marking both Unesco’s International Day Of The Book and Shakespeare’s birthday. Some 20,000 members of the public will be chosen to give away copies of their favourite title from the list, with one million books being distributed at venues including hostels, pubs and hospitals in a bid to boost reading." For complete details, and the rest of the list, which also features THE PLAYER OF GAMES by Iain M. Banks, MISERY by Stephen King, and LET THE RIGHT ONE IN by John Ajvde Lindqvist, see http://www.terrypratchett.co.uk/?p=974.
* Stephen Colbert interviews Maurice Sendak, who is deadpan perfection. Hilarity ensues. http://www.hulu.com/watch/322712/the-colbert-report-grim-colberty-tales-with-maurice-sendak-part-1 Part 2 follows. Sorry for the ads, which are un-skipable.
* We're sorry to report the death of author Christopher Samuel Youd, (who used the pseudonym John Christopher, among several others) at the age of 89. Youd was the prolific author of THE DEATH OF GRASS, The Tripod trilogy, and many others. You can find his obituary in the UK's Guardian newspaper here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/feb/06/john-christopher-samuel-youd
* Sadly, Dick Tufield, the voice of the "Lost in Space" robot, has also passed away at the age of 85. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/dick-tufeld-voice-lost-space-284500
January Bestsellers
Hardcovers
1) Distrust That Particular Flavor by William Gibson
2) Nested Scrolls by Rudy Rucker
3) Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
4) A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin
5) A Path to Coldness of Heart by Glen Cook
6) 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
7) Reamde by Neal Stephenson
8) Seed by Rob Ziegler
9) Snuff by Terry Pratchett
10) Children of the Sky by Vernor Vinge
Paperbacks
1) A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
2) A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
3) A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
4) A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
5) House Name by Michelle West
6) The Fuller Memorandum by Charles Stross
7) Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan
8) A Hard Day's Knight by Simon R. Green
9) Up Against It by M. L. Locke
10) Lost Gate by Orson Scott Card
Trade Paperbacks
1) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
2) Among Others by Jo Walton
3) The Liminal People by Ayize Jama-Everett
4) Empire State by Adam Christopher
5) Blueprints of the Afterlife by Ryan Boudinot
1) Distrust That Particular Flavor by William Gibson
2) Nested Scrolls by Rudy Rucker
3) Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
4) A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin
5) A Path to Coldness of Heart by Glen Cook
6) 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
7) Reamde by Neal Stephenson
8) Seed by Rob Ziegler
9) Snuff by Terry Pratchett
10) Children of the Sky by Vernor Vinge
Paperbacks
1) A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
2) A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
3) A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
4) A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
5) House Name by Michelle West
6) The Fuller Memorandum by Charles Stross
7) Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan
8) A Hard Day's Knight by Simon R. Green
9) Up Against It by M. L. Locke
10) Lost Gate by Orson Scott Card
Trade Paperbacks
1) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
2) Among Others by Jo Walton
3) The Liminal People by Ayize Jama-Everett
4) Empire State by Adam Christopher
5) Blueprints of the Afterlife by Ryan Boudinot
Overheard at the Store
This is a feature that appears periodically, usually as we attend conventions and overhear things. However, sometimes we overhear amusing tidbits even when we're not attending a convention:
"She described it in terms that I would have been much happier had she never described it in."
"Sometimes, being chewed on by a hyena is Nature's way of telling you to take a break."
"I don't care how cute he is, I don't want to [deleted] someone who wipes out species! Not okay."
"What do you mean, 'Which one?'?! Exactly how many new lesbian werewolf novels ARE there?"
"She described it in terms that I would have been much happier had she never described it in."
"Sometimes, being chewed on by a hyena is Nature's way of telling you to take a break."
"I don't care how cute he is, I don't want to [deleted] someone who wipes out species! Not okay."
"What do you mean, 'Which one?'?! Exactly how many new lesbian werewolf novels ARE there?"
January 01, 2012
January News Roundup
* Own a piece of Borderlands' history! Over ten years ago, as we were planning on moving from our original Hayes Valley location to the Mission, Alan designed a new style of bookshelf for the store. Examples of the final design are all over the store but, before the design was finalized, there was one prototype. For years we have used that prototype to house our oversized art books and HP Lovecraft section, but it's time to move it along and replace it. Rather than sell it, we want to give it to one of our customers so . . . if you're interested in a nice shelf and a piece of history, drop us an email saying so. We'll pick the winner one week from today. One warning though, it's _tall_ . . . very tall. Slightly over 8 feet in height, it will not fit under the ceiling of most houses built later than 1950. So please do grab a tape measure before emailing us. Pictures and complete dimensions can be found here <http://www.borderlands-books.com/furniturepages/furniture.html>.
At that same page, you'll find pictures and details of a display case we're passing along. Honestly, I expect that this one will have to go on CraigsList but I wanted to offer it to our customers (at a reduced price) first. One warning goes with this one as well -- it is probably the heaviest single piece of furniture I've ever had to move. You will need a truck and probably three other people to load it and unload it. And I wouldn't even want to think about moving it up a flight of stairs. If I list it on Craig's it'll be $50 but I'm happy to sell it to a customer for half that. Let us know if you're interested.
* Jonathan Knapp from the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts wanted to let everyone know about an upcoming screening of "The House by the Cemetery" from Lucio Fulci. Here are the details: "'The House by the Cemetery" by Lucio Fulci, Jan 27, 2012, at 10:00pm & Jan 28, 2012, at 10:00pm UNCUT GRINDHOUSE RARITY! One of the best films by one of the greatest Italian exploitation directors, this is the “old dark house” genre by way of the grindhouse. In typical Fulci fashion, the movie sidesteps logic, instead reveling in gore and a truly haunting atmosphere. We are presenting a specially imported, fully uncut European 35mm print, dubbed in English and -- just to up the weirdness ante -- with Danish subtitles. Bring a phrasebook, and a barf bag. (1981, 86 min, 35mm) Admission: $8 general • $6 YBCA members, students, seniors Location: Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (701 Mission St., San Francisco) For more information: <http://www.ybca.org/house-cemetery>
* The Custom Made Theatre Company (the fine folks who are staging Cory Doctorow's "Little Brother") are offering a special deal for our customers! Sunday, January 29th at 7:00 pm, Borderlands customers can see the show "Little Brother" for $20 per ticket, and the director and cast will be staying after the show for a Q&A! Tickets can be purchased at http://www.custommade.org/tickets, and the discount code is M1k3y. There is no service fee. Tickets are picked up at will-call starting at 45 minutes before showtime, general admission seating begins 30 minutes before.
More info on the show at <http://custommade.org/little-brother>. We hope you'll join us there -- many of the Borderlands staff will be attending!
* Borderlands Cafe now has a Twitter feed to keep you apprised of cafe happenings, things we overhear, and occasional specials! Follow us @borderlandscafe. Also, it's kind of silly, but we're really pleased to have exceeded 5000 followers for the store's Twitter feed, @borderlands_sf.
* Thanks, io9: I'm not sure how I got along before I knew about the "Alien vs. Predator" Chess Board! <http://io9.com/5874206/this-alien-versus-predator-chessboard-was-built-for-chessboxing?tag=tabletop-games>
At that same page, you'll find pictures and details of a display case we're passing along. Honestly, I expect that this one will have to go on CraigsList but I wanted to offer it to our customers (at a reduced price) first. One warning goes with this one as well -- it is probably the heaviest single piece of furniture I've ever had to move. You will need a truck and probably three other people to load it and unload it. And I wouldn't even want to think about moving it up a flight of stairs. If I list it on Craig's it'll be $50 but I'm happy to sell it to a customer for half that. Let us know if you're interested.
* Jonathan Knapp from the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts wanted to let everyone know about an upcoming screening of "The House by the Cemetery" from Lucio Fulci. Here are the details: "'The House by the Cemetery" by Lucio Fulci, Jan 27, 2012, at 10:00pm & Jan 28, 2012, at 10:00pm UNCUT GRINDHOUSE RARITY! One of the best films by one of the greatest Italian exploitation directors, this is the “old dark house” genre by way of the grindhouse. In typical Fulci fashion, the movie sidesteps logic, instead reveling in gore and a truly haunting atmosphere. We are presenting a specially imported, fully uncut European 35mm print, dubbed in English and -- just to up the weirdness ante -- with Danish subtitles. Bring a phrasebook, and a barf bag. (1981, 86 min, 35mm) Admission: $8 general • $6 YBCA members, students, seniors Location: Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (701 Mission St., San Francisco) For more information: <http://www.ybca.org/house-cemetery>
* The Custom Made Theatre Company (the fine folks who are staging Cory Doctorow's "Little Brother") are offering a special deal for our customers! Sunday, January 29th at 7:00 pm, Borderlands customers can see the show "Little Brother" for $20 per ticket, and the director and cast will be staying after the show for a Q&A! Tickets can be purchased at http://www.custommade.org/tickets, and the discount code is M1k3y. There is no service fee. Tickets are picked up at will-call starting at 45 minutes before showtime, general admission seating begins 30 minutes before.
More info on the show at <http://custommade.org/little-brother>. We hope you'll join us there -- many of the Borderlands staff will be attending!
* Borderlands Cafe now has a Twitter feed to keep you apprised of cafe happenings, things we overhear, and occasional specials! Follow us @borderlandscafe. Also, it's kind of silly, but we're really pleased to have exceeded 5000 followers for the store's Twitter feed, @borderlands_sf.
* Thanks, io9: I'm not sure how I got along before I knew about the "Alien vs. Predator" Chess Board! <http://io9.com/5874206/this-alien-versus-predator-chessboard-was-built-for-chessboxing?tag=tabletop-games>
December Bestsellers
Hardcovers
1) Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
2) Reamde by Neal Stephenson
3) Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin
4)1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
5) Ready Player One by Earnest Cline
6) The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
7) Seed by Rob Ziegler
8)11/22/63 by Stephen King
9) Rule 34 by Charles Stross
10) Inheritance by Christopher Paolini tie with
Zone One by Colson Whitehead
Paperbacks
1) Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
2) Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
3) Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
4) Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
5) Feed by Mira Grant
6) Fate's Edge by Ilona Andrews
7) Equations of Life by Simon Morden
8) Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan
9) Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie
10) Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch
Trade Paperbacks
1) Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
2) Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
3) Faith by John Love
4) Unpossible and Other Stories by Daryl Gregory
5) Empire State by Adam Christopher
1) Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
2) Reamde by Neal Stephenson
3) Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin
4)1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
5) Ready Player One by Earnest Cline
6) The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
7) Seed by Rob Ziegler
8)11/22/63 by Stephen King
9) Rule 34 by Charles Stross
10) Inheritance by Christopher Paolini tie with
Zone One by Colson Whitehead
Paperbacks
1) Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
2) Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
3) Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
4) Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
5) Feed by Mira Grant
6) Fate's Edge by Ilona Andrews
7) Equations of Life by Simon Morden
8) Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan
9) Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie
10) Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch
Trade Paperbacks
1) Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
2) Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
3) Faith by John Love
4) Unpossible and Other Stories by Daryl Gregory
5) Empire State by Adam Christopher
What Happens When the Showrooms Go Away?
by Alan Beatts
In the aftermath of the holiday shopping season the consumer trends have turned out to be pretty much what anyone would have expected, other than people seeming to be willing to spend more money that was expected. Barnes and Nobel, along with many independent booksellers, had a nice boost in sales due to Borders Books closing. Even more stuff was bought on-line. A little bit of a surprise was Amazon's offer to pay customers up to $5 to go into a local store, scan an item, walk out, and buy the same item on Amazon (a move that was decried by even some of the biggest tech and Amazon fans http://gawker.com/5865612/amazon-launches-christmas-attack-on-local-shops).
That recent offer from Amazon got me thinking about where that phenomenon (i.e. consumers shopping at physical stores and then buying online) might take us. The obvious conclusion is that eventually the physical stores will vanish since they won't make enough sales to stay open. But what happens then?
Obviously, people will have to get used to buying things without being able to take a look at them first, which is actually fine for most sort of product but may be troubling for people shopping for things like furniture, clothing, and so forth. But even then, simple, friendly, no-questions-asked return policies will reassure consumers enough that it shouldn't be a big hurdle for on-line merchants.
In the aftermath of the holiday shopping season the consumer trends have turned out to be pretty much what anyone would have expected, other than people seeming to be willing to spend more money that was expected. Barnes and Nobel, along with many independent booksellers, had a nice boost in sales due to Borders Books closing. Even more stuff was bought on-line. A little bit of a surprise was Amazon's offer to pay customers up to $5 to go into a local store, scan an item, walk out, and buy the same item on Amazon (a move that was decried by even some of the biggest tech and Amazon fans http://gawker.com/5865612/amazon-launches-christmas-attack-on-local-shops).
That recent offer from Amazon got me thinking about where that phenomenon (i.e. consumers shopping at physical stores and then buying online) might take us. The obvious conclusion is that eventually the physical stores will vanish since they won't make enough sales to stay open. But what happens then?
Obviously, people will have to get used to buying things without being able to take a look at them first, which is actually fine for most sort of product but may be troubling for people shopping for things like furniture, clothing, and so forth. But even then, simple, friendly, no-questions-asked return policies will reassure consumers enough that it shouldn't be a big hurdle for on-line merchants.
December 01, 2011
December News Roundup
* We are so sorry to report the death of beloved author Anne McCaffrey at age 85. The Guardian UK's obituary is here: <http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/nov/23/anne-mccaffrey-obituary> .
"That's what writing is all about, after all, making others see what you have put down on the page and believing that it does, or could, exist and you want to go there." - Anne McCaffrey
* Big thanks to author Peter David, who, of obvious necessity, has penned "The Fan / Pro Bill of Rights," detailing the rights and responsibilities of fans and professionals at conventions and in other public settings. Yes, a lot of this stuff should be common sense. . .but "common sense" so often isn't. <http://www.peterdavid.net/index.php/2011/11/28/the-fanpro-bill-of-rights/>
* Unfortunately, owner Greg Ketter will close the brick and mortar store of venerable DreamHaven Books of Minneapolis in January, 2012. We are very, very sorry to lose the physical locus of this institution, but Greg says their mail-order business will continue. <http://www.dreamhavenbooks.com/>
* A fundraising auction is underway to assist author and editor Terri Windling, who is in financial need. There are signed books, original art prints and many, many other items available. Details here: <http://magick4terri.livejournal.com/>
* Thanks to employee Naamen, Dave, and the many other customers who pointed us towards "The Call of Cthulhu" if presented by Dr. Seuss: <http://io9.com/5847879/what-if-dr-seuss-wrote-the-call-of-cthulhu>
* Amazon takes aim at local shops. "Amazon.com announced it will pay customers up to $5 to go into a local store, scan an item, walk out, and buy the same item on Amazon." Further comment is really unnecessary. <http://gawker.com/5865612/amazon-launches-christmas-attack-on-local-shops>
* Our neighbors, Lost Weekend Video are engaging in a fundraising effort to allow them to put in a screening room at their shop. Like bookstores, video rental establishment have had a hard time staying open in the face of changes driven by the internet. And, like bookstores, they provide social contact and expert reccomendations that are lacking on the internet. But Lost Weekend isn't giving up and, again like bookstores, they're getting imaginative and coming up with clever ideas to keep going. We at Borderlands salute and support their efforts. For more information, check out <http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lostweekendvideo/the-cinecave-at-lost-weekend-video>.
"That's what writing is all about, after all, making others see what you have put down on the page and believing that it does, or could, exist and you want to go there." - Anne McCaffrey
* Big thanks to author Peter David, who, of obvious necessity, has penned "The Fan / Pro Bill of Rights," detailing the rights and responsibilities of fans and professionals at conventions and in other public settings. Yes, a lot of this stuff should be common sense. . .but "common sense" so often isn't. <http://www.peterdavid.net/index.php/2011/11/28/the-fanpro-bill-of-rights/>
* Unfortunately, owner Greg Ketter will close the brick and mortar store of venerable DreamHaven Books of Minneapolis in January, 2012. We are very, very sorry to lose the physical locus of this institution, but Greg says their mail-order business will continue. <http://www.dreamhavenbooks.com/>
* A fundraising auction is underway to assist author and editor Terri Windling, who is in financial need. There are signed books, original art prints and many, many other items available. Details here: <http://magick4terri.livejournal.com/>
* Thanks to employee Naamen, Dave, and the many other customers who pointed us towards "The Call of Cthulhu" if presented by Dr. Seuss: <http://io9.com/5847879/what-if-dr-seuss-wrote-the-call-of-cthulhu>
* Amazon takes aim at local shops. "Amazon.com announced it will pay customers up to $5 to go into a local store, scan an item, walk out, and buy the same item on Amazon." Further comment is really unnecessary. <http://gawker.com/5865612/amazon-launches-christmas-attack-on-local-shops>
* Our neighbors, Lost Weekend Video are engaging in a fundraising effort to allow them to put in a screening room at their shop. Like bookstores, video rental establishment have had a hard time staying open in the face of changes driven by the internet. And, like bookstores, they provide social contact and expert reccomendations that are lacking on the internet. But Lost Weekend isn't giving up and, again like bookstores, they're getting imaginative and coming up with clever ideas to keep going. We at Borderlands salute and support their efforts. For more information, check out <http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lostweekendvideo/the-cinecave-at-lost-weekend-video>.
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