Someone pointed out to me that Wizards vs. Robots doesn’t actually have any robots in it. Yes, well it’s only pt. 1. Pt.2 will have more robots than you can wave a wand at, just you see! I just have to figure out how best to work them in.
In the meantime, here are a few links of interest:
- Autopsy of an Indy Bookseller — I’ve always had a soft spot for independent bookstores, having spent the better part of my teens and early 20s in one. In case you’re still wondering why it’s so hard to sell books the old fashioned way, this analysis of the fall of Berkley’s Codys’ Books is a must read.
- It’s last week’s nerd news, but these scans of Edward Gorey’s The Deflowered Girl are a brilliant revelation and a must read for any Gobblin who hasn’t already seen them.
- In my 2008 gaming recap, PixelJunk took top honors for their work. Gamasutra presents a great interview that explains how their unique studio works.
- From Adult Fan of LEGO (AFOL) to professional set designer! This three part interview at the Brothers brick is a fascinating read.
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I’d say that article on Cody’s should be considered essential for anyone who loves books. Period. People who are passionate about books almost always develop that passion through the experience of discovering books in stores, which despite being places of business have always embraced their role as communities for readers to celebrate their love of books with their fellow book lovers. I know of no other product in which the act of purchasing it is as much part of the experience as the enjoyment of the product itself other than books (though arguably, buying music once offered a similar experience). However, all of that is being lost to convenience, something that I understand and have contributed to, but also have quickly come to lament.
I think a key point in that article is made at the end. It’s not just the independent booksellers who are in trouble. ALL bookstores are struggling. Borders is unlikely to survive the year, and Barnes & Noble recently laid off 100 employees from their corporate headquarters. It’s entirely possible that bookstores in general may go the way of music stores within the next few years. Sad times for book lovers indeed.
Music stores inflated the sticker price of a lot of shitty-ass music and enabled a music industry to control really great musicians’ sense of worth by seeing the entire music production cycle as a way to market a lifestyle. They can suck it.
While bookstores are not guilty of quite the same thing, I don’t think the death of brick-and-mortar bookstores says anything other than the way people shop is changing. I’m still reading books, probably more books than is healthy, but I never buy them in a store. I don’t discover books that way, and haven’t in about 15 years. You, Jake, and I should have a loud, drunken conversation about how the Internet is ruining the way things used to be sometime
You two can gang up on me and I can be the stalwart “things are getting totally more rad” voice of reason!
Buying books on amazon and bibliocity.com (for the rarer titles) is great. You tend to always find exactly what you’re looking for and can get it, assuming you have a credit card or paypal account on hand. The trouble is I am a cash person. I prefer to use cash whenever possible. Also book stores are a place where book lovers can socialize and places where you can stumble upon titles you otherwise would never have thought to read. There’s a certain ‘feel’ to book stores. The smell of a new book is very distinct and pleasant for those of us who collect books. The smell of musty books in small used book stores also have their charm. I love books.
Only places like Barns and Nobel can you get into conversations with strangers about the likes of Oscar Wilde or Anne Rice and be perfectly relaxed about it. I was at an Anne Rice book signing in 2003 in New York City and it was like a rock concert. The line started to form early in the morning and Anne Rice herself didn’t show up until ten PM. If you weren’t there by ten AM it was likely you were not going to get your book signed. It’s a good thing the weather was very pleasant that day. But where else can you get into a two hour debate with someone about the de-evolution of the personality of Lestat de Lioncourt or if the changes done from the Wicked novel to the play were an improvement or insult to the original intentions of the author? What other place can you stand around and argue with a book seller who actually thought Queen of the damned was a good film and true to Lestat? (Give me a break.) Where else can you have a rousing debate on which was better? The ghostly version of Bob from The Dresden Files television adaptation or the talking skull of the books? Where else is it healthy to whine about novels being misshelved in the New Age section and the works of Brian Froud ending up on just about any random shelf possible (One of his books in art, another in Scifi, another in New Age…). There are few places in the non-cyber-world where you can casually have these sort of conversations.
I love book stores. It’s not just about buying books. We are human beings. We are social animals. We all take pleasure in being around those like ourselves and often book stores are the best places for us geeks.
I agree with Tim, whenever I spend an hour or two searching thru a book store I always end up with books I love and cherish. I like reading intros, and perusing books by author, cover art, publishing house to find something that fits where I’m at and what I’m in the mood for. You can’t get that on Amazon..
ps I like the Deflowered girl =) I have an old etiquette book, which you also won’t find on Amazon =P, that’s full of good shit.
Etiquette books… My mom went through the entire Miss Manners series with us kiddies and I don’t remember diddly-squat.
Etiquette books never cover how to eat Cheetos, isn’t that weird?
Speaking of books, all you fellow Coraline fans simply must pick up “The Graveyard Book” by the self-same author. I devoured it in one afternoon and decided that I liked it better than Coraline, which was until recently my favorite Neil Gaiman book.
Jess, it sounds like it won’t just be me and Jake ganging up against you!
Seriously, though, there are some things that Amazon just can’t offer, like an easy, quick way of browsing through books. While this may not be essential for all prose books, I think it certainly is for graphic novels, and since I balance prose and comics pretty equally, I think that’s a nice option to have.
Plus, when you’re talking online purchasing right now, you’re primarily talking about Amazon, which scares me. It’s gotten so big and so dominant that if we continue to see this shift to web commerce, I’m worried that it may be very difficult for any other online retailer to offer up much in the way of competition. At least two generations of consumers have learned that when you’re going to buy something online, the first and usually last place you check is Amazon. It has the potential to become a sort of virtual monopoly that would be unlike anything we’ve seen in the history of retail. And I tend to fear monopolies.
Tim,
I’ve been meaning to write a bit more on this topic, especially in light of the news and ensuing doomsaying about Diamond, and what some of the publishing world shifts mean for the future of books. In the long run, I don’t think there’s any doubt that people will still want to read novels (and graphic novels) in one form or another, but in the short term, it’s going to be pretty scary waters for all involved. As much as I love books, a growing part of me feels guilty about the wastefullness of the industry. How many books get destroyed unsold each year? How many books get bought and go unread? How many books become obsolete just as soon as the ink is dry? I’ll come back when I’m feeling more articulate, but in the long run, I’m hoping that book store closures will lead to library booms instead of just online discount sales alone.
I’m still waiting for May so I can buy Laby 3. I really, really, really wish time could go faster and then reverse so I could have it now instead of later and not create a paradox.