Booksellers respond to e-book competition
 Monday, Jun. 21, 2010
By Tim Sheehan / The Fresno Bee

Fig Garden Bookstore (left) owner Jean Shore has survived plenty of business challenges in almost 25 years as a bookseller.

First came the arrival in Fresno of big-chain bookstores like Barnes & Noble in 1992 and Borders in 1998. The rise of Amazon.com followed through the first decade of this century.

Now, the growing popularity of "e-books" -- electronic titles downloaded to computers, tablet readers or smart phones -- represents new competition for Shore and other independent bookstore owners in the Valley and across the country.
"We'll have to diversify and learn to do things differently," Shore said.

Bookstores hope to stay relevant through a blend of new and old strategies: appealing to people who continue to favor the tactile, page-turning experience of a "real" book; selling book-related merchandise, toys and gifts; focusing on specialty titles and local authors; and, to a growing degree, finding ways to offer e-books themselves.

Read more at The Fresno Bee.


Fig Garden Bookstore ~ Fig Garden Village ~ 5084 N. Palm Ave. ~ Fresno, CA 93704 ~ 559-226-1845 ~ figgardenbookstore.com