eReader Part III

I was eagerly awaiting the arrival of my new Sony eReader in anticipation of an upcoming weekend away from the bookstore. I only made one small error. I asked for the package to be shipped to my home address. Why I did not choose to ship directly to the bookstore I'm not quite sure? However, it might have had something to do with my anxiety about the initial reaction of my fellow booksellers to my new purchase. Many people fear new technology, and veteran booksellers are certainly no different. Back to my error. I did not realize that the eReader is priced high enough to require a signature for delivery. After it did not arrive on the expected delivery date (Thursday), I went online and subsequently called FedEx in an effort to get them to route the package to a different location or leave the package without a signature. I had no luck and moved to plan b - a note on my front door for the driver to find on Friday. Alas, despite my efforts and my excitement about the eReader - it was not to be. FedEx would not leave the package without a signature and I was back to my trusty, old, traditonal, and lovable books for the weekend...shucks!

eReader Part II - Purchase

I decided it was time to take the leap and purchase and eReader. But, which one? Should I choose the biggest threat to the independent book world or the more useful "work" tool? The Amazon Kindle clearly has all the bells and whistles that any avid reader needs. All the books are at your convenience in mere seconds and you never have to connect the computer to a computer. Completely wireless. Also, the Kindle gives you access to many magazines and newspapers, inculding the New York Times. However, without the connection to a computer I worried about the limitations on Kindle for reading advanced galleys from the publishers. On the sony eReader it appeared that I could easily transfer emailed files of word documents or PDFs to my computer and then onto the eReader with ease. Also, the Sony version was currently being used by both the Penguin and Random House publishing houses. These two major players in the publishing world are saving paper and dollars by sending all their manuscripts to their field reps in eFormat. Despite my greater interest in getting the more feature rich Amazon Kindle, I realized that besides an industry experiement that I would certainly want to use whichever version as a tool. Thus, the Sony eReader became my choice. Within a few quick clicks I had the Sony version in a shopping cart, engraved with my name, and charged to the HugoBooks, Inc, credit card (thanks Dad). I even received a $100 gift card to purchase discounted classics. For ease of buying a new toy, the Sony website gets an A-plus from me. The whole process took less than five minutes from start to finish. Although you can buy the Sony eReader from Amazon, Borders, and many other online locations I was glad I chose to get it from the manufacturer just in case any problems arise in he future...now I just have to wait...

eReader Part I

eReaders have come and gone in past years without ever really making a dent in the book industry. This generation supposedly supports amazing new technology that might just be good enough to meet the demands of avid readers. Or, maybe, not. Despite the reviews on blogs, the reviews in the newspapers, even Oprah’s latest take, there is one voice missing – an independent bookseller. Most of my peers, when asked about the eReader, just shrug them off as the latest generation of a product that has failed in the past and will fail again. How will true readers stare at a screen all day that will tire their eyes and dull their senses? Or how about the decorative aspect of beautiful, dear books? Palm Pilot shaped eReaders and disks aren’t very pretty, right? I figured I might embark on a journey to test out the eReader and see if indeed it’s all hype or it is something special that will threaten our readers (and also our buyers…). So in the coming days I’ve decided to blog for those interested on my experience from purchase, to arrival, to the first book and see if I like it, hate it, and most important should I be worried about it. If nothing else, maybe we’ll generate some hearty discussion! Talk to you soon!

Using Amazon

People cringe at the idea that I use and encourage my staff to use Amazon to hunt and find books – why? They’re simply the best damn search engine for books (and pretty much anything else). But, I even step further out there to the chagrin of my peers – I like to buy from them with frequency! How else can you pick up really obscure new and used books, music, or foreign snow globes that my customers want, get them shipped free freight, make 40-60 percent, and yearly get a free plane ticket or two from all those frequent flier miles – thanks Amazon. I love to hate you – but you’re a heck of a tool. Jeff Bezos in my mind is a modern day retail genius! There’s also Alibris, Powells, and Google, these are all the new tools of the modern surviving Indie bookstore. So if we’ve got that game down what’s the next threat on the horizon? Readership as a whole is alarmingly low – but most of those figures haven’t changed much over the years despite the sadness that brings to the heart of any bookseller young or old. No, our next threat is certainly the current generations of the eReader...

Story Continues...

I’ve thrown myself into learning the trade and trying to continue the family tradition by learning everything possible to make an independent bookstore thrive. If you’ve been reading the papers – the independent bookstore has seen tough times over the past 10 years. Many, many, quality bookstores have had to close their doors in the face of stiff competition from big box stores, and the “large river” flowing through the phone and cable lines. That said, there are many successful booksellers fighting the “good fight” and keeping independents alive. Local movements are growing and the value of Main Street seems to be gaining traction in a world that for the past 20 years has gravitated towards the malls. I’ve always been a fan of trying to be a forward thinker and trying to keep the industry alive through the best combination of using technology and the old fashion love of reading. Instead of getting stuck in old ways of doing business I challenge our staff and those who will listen to make the best of the tools we have at hand. I hope to explore some of those in future posts.

Introduction

Welcome to the Bookman’s Son’s blog. I am brand spanking new to even the idea of writing a personal blog so if there are any readers out there (I am prepared for earth-shattering silence) please be kind, but please write me up, instruct me, or comment at will. I look forward to our conversation.First a bit about myself, my name is John Hugo and I am, as stated a bookman’s son. I grew up in New England where my father opened his first bookstore in 1965. He’s steadily been plying his trade through the many changes of the industry – from the first small New England Booksellers Trade show, through the many iterations of the American Booksellers Association, through recessions, booms, gas crisis’s, computerization, independents growth, the arrival of the big box chains, and of course the internet. Somewhere along the line he met my mother and I was the result: a Bookman’s Son. I spent my childhood growing up surrounded by books and my father's ever-present advice on how to stay fed and housed off the profits of selling the written word. A pretty good choice for a career and much more enjoyable then some other suited professions that abound – although probably not as lucrative. An as an added benefit, the people into books are just interesting. Find me another job that could be half as interesting and I’ll find you someone telling you a story better placed spine out in the Fiction section. So without too much debate, a few quick detours for college, and some skiing, I ended up right back in the business I love.