The Bookstore v. Amazon

The Bookstore v. Amazon There are readers who like bookstores and readers who prefer Amazon. Pitting them against each other is like telling people they ought to like Coca Cola over Pepsi. They have their reasons, and you wont change them. Most of the time. â€Å"If the bookshops are good enough, if the relationship with your customers is truly there, if your booksellers are enjoying themselves and you’ve trained them and you’ve respected them and you’ve allowed them to develop their skills†¦ then our customers truly will remain loyal to us.† ~James Daunt, managing director of Waterstones, at the 2017 Australian Booksellers Association’s annual conference in Melbourne But sometimes bookstore employees forget. Sometimes they let their personal feelings float to the surface, and therein lies a key reason people go to Amazon versus a bookstore . . . to purchase a book of choice in a nonjudgmental atmosphere. They want to  feel the store is benign, much like a doctor who treats anyone, regardless of who they are or what disease they have. Take away that safe feeling , and both a bookstore and a doctor loses credibility . . . and business. I love the blog, The Passive Voice. Recently, PG (the blogger) wrote about a bookstore worker who struggled with store visitors when they asked about or purchased books that the worker did not believe in. PG mentioned in the end that readers prefer a judgment-free zone like Amazon over a meatspace retail with a side of attitude.  thepassivevoice.com/2017/07/a-booksellers-elegy/ I would like to take bookstore consideration one step further. How does a bookstore treat an author? Whether a fledgling indie author or a New York Times best selling author ten times over, the human is still there. And any writer is a rabid reader, with word-of-mouth power. And a small-time local author will tout that small-town indie bookstore much louder than that big-town author who flew in and out. Without a doubt, bookstores prefer best-selling authors for sales. But there are ways of delivering the message when a bookstore can only purchase so many books or house so many signings, and a smart bookstore owner would benefit A lot of this attitude concerning bookstores explains a lot. At a bookstore, we find atmosphere and personality . . . but is it the personality you want? At Amazon, we find the widest selection of books and a market that doesnt judge. Bookstore ownerlove  everyone who comes in the door and respect  their choices. Let them know they are cherished individuals, and youll do anything to make them happy. Theyll love you back, I promise.