All bookshops must start selling electronic ‘e-books’ by the autumn if they
are to ensure their long-term survival, a leading trade body has warned.
Many independent bookshop owners
say that they are on the verge of collapse Photo:
PA
The Telegraph - 14 Sept 2012
Tim Godfray, the chief executive of The Booksellers Association (BA), said
that high street bookshops risk being “marginalised” by shoppers if they do not
start selling downloadable books as well as physical books.
He said that the massive popularity of e-reading devices such as the Kindle
has already turned shops into “showrooms”, where people browse the shelves
before going home to buy a book off the internet.
Writing in The Bookseller magazine, Mr Godfray said he is “deeply concerned”
that customers will simply stop using bookshops if they are not at least given
the option to buy e-books in them.
Large chains such as Waterstone’s have already started to sell e-books. In
the spring the chain announced a tie-up with Kindle-owner Amazon to allow
customers to buy e-books from special wireless internet areas in its shops.
Mr Godfray said that independent bookshops must follow the lead of chains
like Waterstone’s.
He doesn't explain why people would be more likely to buy e-books in a store than on-line. Aren't e-books in the same category as CDs and DVDs - and stores that sell them have been even more badly affected by on-line shopping?
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