Monday, September 12, 2011
Book and Related Business Models
The days of leisurely hanging out in books stores across the US maybe numbered, atleast for those who are fans of Borders. My favorite location was there in my annual 2009 visit to NYC and gone the next in 2010. I knew it was a bad sign. In my inbox this morning, Barnes &Noble was ready to fill the void by declaring its new features. But the thoughtful, brand loyal customers of Borders forty year run will enjoy the article by Todd Leopold at CNN. I particurlarly enjoy his description of what a bookstore could be:
"....there's something about a bookstore. It's a library, a gathering spot, a refuge, a journey. Often it's small, maybe an 800-square-foot storefront jammed into a city street. Or it's idiosyncratic: an old house or converted barn, a rambling lobby or strip-mall space. It may not even be in your neighborhood, but that's where you go."
My challenge to you, students in my SUR(Students who work) class at ZSEM and any other readers who want to join in is to find a book selling business model that is working. In your comment, please link us to the website or article featuring the book business model and describe it by product, price, place and promotion so it is easier for us to compare and share.
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ReplyDeleteI'm really sad to see Borders go. I was only there a few times when I was in Chicago and LA (even though I made purchases that were enough for a discount with my new loyalty card), but the store blew me away with its simple, yet very cosy concept. Like Todd Leopold said, there's just something about it. I loved how it looked more like someone's home rather than a store. It was something between a lounge, coffee shop, bookstore, music shop and just a hangout place where you can chill, socialize, listen to good music, read your newspaper or just find peace with your favorite book. I was silently hoping that the store would eventually reach Croatia, but it surprised me to find out that it will cease to exist altogether.
ReplyDeleteI've been to a lot of amazing bookstores (my favorite being Shakespeare & Co. in Paris, France), I've been to a lot of really cool coffee shops (one of the coolest being the Oliver Twist Pub in Zagreb), but I've never experianced anything like Borders. There is one similar bookshop/coffee place that comes to mind which is right here in Zagreb. It's called Booksa (pronounced Books-uh; also, buksa in Croatian, meaning small storage room). It was founded by Kulturtreger, an association that promotes culture. It's basically their headquarters. It's a coffee shop with a variety of books that can be bought or rented. It also hosts various events like poetry night, a book club, creative writing workshop, author signings, discussions, music nights, quizz nights etc. You can become a member by signing up at the store, after which you get their newsletter where they let you know all about different cultural events in Booksa and around town. Although it still has a lot of room for improvement, it also has an amazing potential. I'm not sure how successful their model actually is, but since it has been working for roughly seven years now, I guess it is. I would like to see more stores like Booksa and Borders all around Zagreb, and other cities, because it seems like a perfect mix for relaxation with your friends, listening to good music, getting a new music album, buying a new book, or attending a cultural event. Unfortunately, the website is only in Croatian, due to their activities which are only in Croatian. Maybe they could have a book club in English here and there, and try to draw exchange students and other foreigners living in Zagreb. The website of Booksa is www.booksa.hr, and it's located in Fra Grge Martića street, number 14d. Feel free to visit, write a review of your own, or mention some other similar places, whether they are in Zagreb or some other city.
so i found this interesting article on web about bookstore...
ReplyDeleteonline bookstore run by stay-at-home mom who had some free time on her hands...
she's been managing bookstore for the last 12 years but has decided to quite so she could stay at home with her child...
soon she realized she missed her job and wanted to work again...
so she did...
she started small, with only $500, a basement and a plan...
now, after 2 yeras, she's earning over $70.000 for just 3-4 hours of work per day...
i think she's a good example of what entrepreneur is...
courage, knowledge and patience... and creativity of course...
whole story you can find on http://steve-olson.com/how-a-stay-at-home-mom-lives-her-dream-selling-books-online/
i found this very interesting bookstore in Salem, Massachusetts. the interesting thing about this bookstore is that it doesn't have any real walls inside, but those made out of numerous books. there is also a video that shows how it looks like inside. they sell used books, price range is inexpensive, and they have almost every book 50% off. unfortunately, they don't have their own web page, but you can see some pics here: http://salem.patch.com/listings/derby-square-bookstore
ReplyDeleteand if you want to see the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fqL6Cur2Xg
I have found this amazing bookstore called THE BOOK BARGE. This is a very different and unique bookstore. Its actually a decorated boat that roams the UK waterways at roaring speed of 4 miles an hour. They sell books and promote their brilliant idea in many different ways. They have book clubs, weekly and monthly reading groups to suit all ages and tastes, they offer professional copy writing and private tutoring.Basic idea of this bookstore is to promote a less hurries and harried lifestyle and pleasurable book shopping. They also offer package treatments called Book therapy, price range is 50$ to 150%, that include tea, wine, cake or picnic. You can look it up here on this following link http://www.thebookbarge.co.uk/The_Book_Barg_1./Book_Therapy.html
ReplyDeleteThey offer some great Book gifts for a very reasonable and affordable prices. Here is the link http://www.thebookbarge.co.uk/The_Book_Barg_1./Book_Gifts.html
The also offer Book humor, http://www.thebookbarge.co.uk/The_Book_Barg_1./Book_Humours.html, have their own blog and facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Book-Barge/153222811393506
I found this bookstore boat very original and attractive. I think I would easily get attached to this bookstore and soon share many pleasant memories.
I found very amazing bookstore, Selexyz Dominicanen, which is located in very unusual place for bookstore, the city's old Dominican Church in Maastricht in the Netherlands. It is a result as merge between Maastricht's Bergmans bookshop and the Academy library. It holds the biggest stock of books in English in Maastricht. Also amazing thing is that clients and visitors can sit and admire the beautifully renovated ceiling frescoes and drink cup of tea or coffee in bar inside the bookshop. It is located in very attractive part of the city. You can also buy book from their web page http://www.selexyz.nl or post a comment. Or if you want, you can get some information or ask a question on their facebook profile http://www.facebook.com/selexyz .
ReplyDeleteI found one very interesting bookstore in Bejing, China. Called Kids Republic. It is special because its for children.
ReplyDeleteThis bright and playful space houses one of China's first and largest children's bookstore, stocking over 3,000 titles in many languages. The store's imaginative architecture creates a fantastic space for parents and children alike. It is a good way to attract children to books and not just to the internet. Here is a link where you can see it http://www.bookstorepeople.com/2009/05/kids-republic-in-beijing-china/
Wow. What a journey! Thanks to Filip, Ivana, Iva, Martina, Ines, Josip and Kristina for setting us on path of discovering new book sellers changing our mind of who books are for, where they can be bought your investigations have already opened my mind, maybe Croatia needs a new chain of Kava i Knige (my copyright:)coffee and bookstore fusion concepts. We look forward to the rest of the class and blog followers to join in:)
ReplyDeleteI found one really unique bookstore... The Colour-Coded bookstore
ReplyDeleteIt was made by artist and writer Chris Cobb like art performance in San Francisco. He arranged 20.000 books inside the A dobe Store by colour. Rainbow book covers can bring joy into our heads, and bring us the massage of books with unexpected happiness... It is very interesting bookstore but not practical on permanent basis.... "how you find any book there on your own"...
It is a good way to make books more popular, and more wanted by combining art performance and books.
Here below you can see really incredibily beautiful performancies
http://www.mikestilkey.com/#home
http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2008/09/bittersweet-art-of-cutting-up-books.html
I've found one really strange bookstore... It's called ''Wiled Rumpus''. It's located in Linden Hills, Minneapolis. This bookstore is for children. The store opened in 1993, making it older than most of the customers, and it is still going strong. They are very successful because they are different than most bookstores. There is a wide selection of books for babies to teenagers. The interior can make kids believe that there are really ''wild things there''.
ReplyDeleteThe strangest part of this bookstore is the fact, that the store is home to a menagerie of cats, rodents (caged), reptiles (caged) and a fearless free range chicken.
Story times are held once a week and are incredibly popular, so you have to arrive early just to have a chance of getting into the store.
http://minneapolis.about.com/od/shoppingstyleservices/fr/wildrumpus.htm
Here is a video of a child chasing a chicken in the ''Wild Rumpus''... Enjoy everyone..:)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ybfjzc51RrI
My favorite bookstore concept is Institut – Library Cafe par Cărturești, hosted by the French Institute of Bucharest, similar concept my colleague Filip Skrobic mentioned.
ReplyDeleteIt is the great mix of books and fun times from the moment you step in showing books will never be replaced..
http://archen.mr926.me/2011/01/linstitut-lundi-et-demi/
Susan Novotny (owner of the Book House: http://bookhouse.indiebound.com/ ) and Eric Wilska (owner of the Bookloft: http://www.thebookloft.com/) since four years collaborate on their fairly new project I am a huge fan of: publishing own handselling favorites.
The bias of so called a new indie book selling model is to print books by local authors with national potential, that Susan's already established bookstores and other independents can handsell.
As in the review Susan says "The books we handsell, the books we recommend, sell three or four times faster than the books on the New York Times bestsellers list".
Susan is planning to keep costs down by offering small advances, or in the case of the press' first book, no advance.She will release paperback editions, sales will be handled by commission reps and will focus on independent bookstores.
Susan and Eric not only print books for others, but bring back into print regional titles to sell in their stores-over 300 titles to date.
Not only does this model change the status of independent bookstores system, but is as well promoting new upcoming authors and this creates socially aware business that makes all participants feel good.
LIBRARY WHICH IS TOP TEN BUILDING IN MODERN ARCHITECTURE OF SAD
ReplyDeleteI found amazing library, it is in Kansas City (Missouri, SAD). It belongs in one of ten greatest work of modern architecture. The walls are build like books. This fancy building form books that have chosen by Kansas City residents. They selected titles that appeared as the walls of the new city library.
http://kclibrary.org/
One of major parts is they offer knowledge for all. And also they have separate part for children and their place on web site. They offer movies also and such a great program for people who come and stay there. The Kansas City Public Library is more than just a place for books and reading. It is where groups of any type come to host private celebrations, corporate meetings, formal dinners, and off-site business gatherings.
Place: Kansas City, city library.
Promotion: Knowledge for all
Product: books, movies, place for rent, book groups, kids, teens, all for family
What I really like about this is they have a brilliant idea how to possess people to come and to stay in library. So, all the time they have movies, family events. They have organized special programs for teens and kids.
http://kclibrary.org/kids
Whit all this also there is book group, so everyone canfind themselves and become part of one of many groups.
Beside the way of library looks what impress me the most is love stories from there. On one part of web site people write their love experience form library. I really like the way library is organized, and all what offers.
http://kclibrary.org/giving-stories
Portugal has one of the most beautiful bookstore in the world.
ReplyDeleteOne of them is for sure, Livraria Lello & Irmao in Porto, which is opened in 1906. This is a library which inspired J.K. Rowling
to write Harry Potter books. If we look at the pictures of the library at the following link:
http://kissmequickkissmenow.blogspot.com/2010/12/paradise-circus-ii.html
we can see from where the inspiration comes.
The building was erected in 1906 and built in a neo-gothic style.
The massive array of books covers Portuguese fiction, nonfiction, poetry, religious, art books and maps. The bookshop store has more than 100 thousands of different titles, in several languages. It also has special
sections dedicated to magazines, CDs and antique books. Lello bookshop was recently renewed. Among the modern services there is a permanent Art Gallery located on the first floor which is opened to painters and
sculptures, periodic art auctions and a tea room.
I found one excellent bookstore in Venezia, you can visit this bookstore thru a calle that introduce you from campo San Giovanni to Santa Maria Formosa. the place is visited alot by high water event, so it seems the worst place for old books but the shop is very nice and books comics posters postcards the same thing. visit it is a wonderful experience….
ReplyDeleteYou can see this bookstore on youtube on this link...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgQpjA5Mlok.....the bookstore has more than 5 thousands of different titles in very small space...every day it visited about one houndred people...in some way this bookstore is exotic and unusual place for books
My ''weird'' bookstore is not on the mainland, it floats. The bookstore is located in a ocean-faring passenger ship, the MV Doulos (Manila, Philippines) :) And what's very interesting about this ship is that the MV Doulos is the oldest passenger ship still sailing – built just three years after the Titanic, built in 1914 to be exact!! The ship is used as a floating bookshop, holding between 3000-5000 books on the shelves with a half million more in the hold. The ship travels around the world selling books. Visiting Doulos to check out the books, is a real experience, because you are boarding on one of the world's oldest ocean-going passenger ship which is practically an old-timer and a museum.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ourawesomeplanet.com/awesome/2007/01/doulos_bookstor.html
While doing my research, I stumbled upon this bookstore that hold a niche of only mystery novels. What attracted me the most at first was its website name (www.crimepays.com). I consider it a great eye and ear catching name. On the other hand, when you think a bit more about the name of the bookstore (which in general are dissappearing and need more customers to stay in business), it’s pretty brilliant since it's so unusual.
ReplyDeleteThis bookstore is located in Greenwich Village, NYC, USA, but it ships books all around the world (including Croatia), which in my opinion is a great business promoter. Not a lot of bookstores do that.
It has, in customers’ opinion, an astonishing collection of new releases, signed first editions, British imports and out of print books to choose from as well as the most popular mysteries of today. Their categories include Tough Guys, Historical, Espionage, Exotic Locale, First Books in Great Series and their 100 Best.
So, whoever likes mystery novels, this is the place to be http://www.crimepays.com/index
I found an amazing touching story about a boy named Wahid from India who is 9 years old and sells books on the road to support his family. This small entrepreneur wants to do good for everyone and become a doctor for villagers. In its business products are foreign books, the price is around 150 rupees ($ 3) per book, the place is Mumbai roads, and promotion recommendations, and personally.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJYD2U1gjnM
If you find yourself in Rome and you feel like having a coffee while watching a modern art exhibition and going through arty and design books BOOKaBAR is a place to visit.
ReplyDeleteIt is something different from usual bookstores combining modern space with a bar and a bookstore. Designed interiors, ultramodern feeling, open patio (well, only during warmer days!) are main reasons why this bookstore is becoming so popular even between locals.
Shop has mostly art, architecture, design, photo books as well as design objects, perfect for unusual gifts.
Bookabar is situated in Rome's reminiscent exhibit complex - the Palazzo Delle Esposizioni. It is composed of three large, airy rooms. Two are devoted to books, catalogues, DVDs and CDs, while the third contains a stylish museum store - a great place to purchase unusual jet tasteful gifts. Next to the bookstore is a café, with a menu inspired by current collections on view at the museum.
www.bookabar.it
I love to cook so almost 50% of my time on-line I spend discovering new recepies and looking at things related to food and cooking. I’ve run into a bookstore that sells only cooking books and books related to cooking, old and new. The name of bookstore is Omnivore Books and it is located in San Francisco, California. You can check all about them on www.omnivorebooks.com – books on food!
ReplyDeleteI found a great bookstore called Debonair Bookstore in Sabo, Yaba (Nigeria). It’s selection of various authors, both Nigerian and international, and a vast number of books is what makes it so special. Also, it has managed to survive in the digital era of e-books and online bookstores,so learning about how they manage that is worth a while, if you ask me.
ReplyDeleteThe brain behind the book store is Debola Omololu, a 33-year-old accountant from Ondo State. Born in Lagos into a middle class family, Omololu’s love for books made him take a bold step to launch the book store in January. But it had begun to evolve much earlier.
Here is a link to an article about that bookstore:
http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/ArtsandCulture/Books/5686163-147/story.csp