The Great Bookshop Debate was held at the new Foyles
store in London
Independent bookshops need to make
readers feel special in order to compete in the internet age, say book trade
experts.
"The future of independent bookshops is not about selling books," said writer
and digital consultant Nicholas Lovell. "They'll do it by selling to people the 'idea' of being a reader."
His comments came during The Great Bookshop Debate in London, a key event of Independent Booksellers Week, which ends on Saturday.
Lovell, author of The Curve - a book about how to make money when everything is going free - said that small bookshops should exploit the idea that books were "about status and self-expression and personality".
"If you think of books as just being something to read, then the Kindle does it," he told the literary gathering at Foyles bookshop on Wednesday night.
Jasper Sutcliffe, head of buying at Foyles, said bookshops "just can't be a book shop any more".
"They need to offer so much more - the bespoke service that booksellers give, the events, the signings, the added value - and we look to publishers to help."
More
No comments:
Post a Comment