Book Lovers Inc.
Romance Novel Reviews, Author Interviews, Commentary
Guest post: Endangered Places in the New Digital World by Elizabeth Means + Giveaway
We welcome to BLI today Elizabeth Means, author of Dangerous Charade a unique combination of historical romance and Victorian detective novel. Please give a warm welcome to Elizabeth and read on, you could win a copy of her book!
Another bookstore in my area closed up shop earlier this month. It would appear the closing of Borders was only the beginning of a very disturbing trend. In the same week my local library announced they will soon be offering e-books for checkout and unveiled a nifty self-checkout scanner at the front desk.
Speaking as a writer who finds great inspiration in places where I’m surrounded by gobs and gobs of books and by the people who love them as much as I do…I am troubled by this news.
I understand the digital winds of change are blowing strong, and with them new opportunities for everyone. But it’s a double-edged sword and I have a bad feeling bookstores are soon going to go the way of “record stores.” Anybody remember those? Better question, anybody remember records? They were fantastic places to go when looking for music, especially hard-to-find music and there was always someone (a real live three-dimensional human) in the store who could help and even recommend great new music. Thanks to online sites like Amazon and digital downloads brick and mortar music stores have become increasingly hard to find.
I’ve almost resigned myself to the fact that I’m probably going to lose bookstores in my lifetime. But my local library, too? This is most painful. Offering e-books and automated check-out…I fear it’s a slippery slope. The printed books I love to hold and thumb through will likely dwindle. And so will the librarians. Soon all we’ll have is a digital library where items are checked out online remotely from a home computer to be read on an e-reader.
Surprisingly, the one bright spot I’ve noticed in all of this are the small, locally owned bookshops that sell both new and used books. They seem to be holding their own in my area. Some even have a small coffee bar and seating area where customers can enjoy their new books and talk with like-minded book-lovers. It warms me clear to my toes to see local book retailers succeed. I’m making it a point to frequent mine more often now and I hope the positive trend continues for them.
What do you think? Will bookstores and libraries soon become obsolete?
About Elizabeth:
I live in the Midwest with my wonderful husband. When I’m not reading or writing, other hobbies I enjoy include hiking, biking, and chocolate. Not necessarily in that order.
While I enjoy many genres, I’m particularly drawn to Victorian era romance stories that are fueled by forbidden love and quite often…murder. The foggy streets, swirling coat tails and foreboding castles make it a difficult one to resist.
Dangerous Charade by Elizabeth Means
To escape an arranged marriage Gabrielle Broussard flees her home to become an undercover investigator with an elite, all-female investigative agency. Her first assignment is to investigate the suspicious death of the Countess of Westford, while posing as a governess. Things quickly become complicated when she finds herself attracted to Lord Julian Blackwell, her number one suspect. Her attraction for him threatens to jeopardize both her case…and her life.
You can find Elizabeth Means at her website: www.elizabeth-means.com
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~*~*Giveaway*~*~
Elizabeth has generously offered an ebook copy of Dangerous Charade to one lucky commenter!
All you have to do is answer Elizabeth’s question in red above or leave a meaningful comment about the post.
(You can read our full giveaway policy here)
Please leave a valid email when placing your comment so we can inform you if you win.
This giveaway is open worldwide!
Giveaway ends on Saturday, December 17, 2011; and we will announce the winner on Sunday.
Good luck!
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I think libraries will not disappear as they’re adapting and next to books also offer other things like cd’s, dvd’s and yes: ebooks.
bookstores however…
Over here in the netherlands bookstores are just getting too expensive for me.
I pay 9 euro for a book in the store that I can buy online for 6 euro. so if I am looking for a book and it’s not on stock in my local bookstore I’m going to order it online.
I agree with Sullivan. I think it will be a while before Dutch language books will be available as e-books. Ebook readers are only common for those who read in English in my humble opinion. So, Dutch bookstores will be there for a while longer, but eventually, I think they will disappear. I have been doing my book buying online for years now, and it just saves so much money. I only enter a bookstore when buying a present for a my niece.
I don’t think bookstores and libraries will be going anywhere anytime soon. There are too many people like myself that are still reading print books. I don’t have an ereader and have no plans to buy one. I don’t buy or read ebooks and have no plans to change that anytime soon. I would much rather have a traditional print book that after I buy it I can sell it, trade it, share it, give it away if I want to. Which you cannot do with ebooks.
miztik_rose@yahoo.com
Thanks for the lovely post and giveaway! This book looks fantastic!
I’m going to stay optimistic and say that bookstores will be hanging around for a while. Even w/ the internet giant Amazon, B&N is still doing strong. Borders was just a prime example of what happens when trends/customer wants are ignored.
My kids don’t understand why this topic makes me so sad. I don’t think we are going to completely lose bookstores but it is going to take creativity and open mindedness. As far as libraries, the sad fact is that kids trust the internet for research. Add to that the fact that libraries are losing funding left and right. I think libraries will disappear unless you happen to be in a university town or live close to one of the major library systems.
jepebATverizonDOTnet
Libraries will continue to struggle, but I do think they will be creative and adapt. Bookstores may have a tougher time, but I hope they can survive.
Yes, local bookstores will close down because I will stick to reading eBooks like glue.
I don’t think bookstores and libraries will ever go away but I do think they will evolve. The definition of these places are simply to buy and library books but in the future or as already happening, they will be places for the community to connect. People can go there to study, check out books and take advantage of wi-fi. These are places that are full of resources and I hope to see them remain for a long time even if it becomes more than just a bookstore or library. Libraries are popping up everywhere in my area and they are state of the art and brimming with visitors. I visit my local library at least once a week and love the hands-on experience of seeing books and flipping through them. They’re not going anywhere, just like many things, if they can stay with the times and adjust they’ll make it.
The libraries nowadays are very high tech and will continue to serve the community. It is harder for the bookstores. Even for print books, I usually buy online since it is sometimes cheaper and they deliver right up to the door. With authors promoting their books on their websites, blogs, etc. you don’t really need to browse through a bookstore for a book.
tamsyn5(at)yahoo(dot)com
Yes I think libraries and book stores will disappear completely. Everyone seems to like kindles, nooks cd etc. I still prefer holding a book in my hands. Please enter me in contest. Tore923@aol.com
Although I think that it may be a possibility, I won’t believe that anyone could not be interested in picking up a book rather than downloading a digital one. I actually went to the library today and it was packed with people, the checkout counters as well. I felt renewed hope that bookstores and libraries would be seen as too precious to be removed, or at least antique enough to keep for memories 🙂
ms_write[at]hotmail[dot]sg
I love libraries; I always have. I shudder to think that they could disappear. I agree with Sullivan McPig. As long as libraries adapt, they’re safe. Bookstores face the same problem, but on a commercial scale. Either change the business model, or go bye-bye.
Elizabeth’s Dangerous Charade sounds like a fun read. Thanks for the giveaway. mochfly(at)swbell(dot)net
i hope not 😉
i had found so many people love reading book so i think there will be much bookstore or libraries open in everywhere =D