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Links Alive: Bookstores

The Internet has greatly expanded our access to books and media. Prior to the internet, we were limited to small and selective group of books presented at the local bookstore. The bottleneck at the local bookstore made it extremely difficult for middle tier authors to access the market. I found that even the mega bookstores often did not carry the ecletic selection of books I wanted to read.

The internet is another story. It gives us access to publishers and massive personal book collections.

Pundits like to blame the Internet for the decline of the local bookstore. Personally, I see the internet doing something much more exciting. Amazon, Half.com and eBay and other auction houses allow people to sell their books online. The Internet has effectively turned everyone into a bookstore. The ability to buy and sell books online has created a whole new class of people that could be described as professional collectors.

As for the local bookshop, those that have embraced the Internet have found manna from heaven. They've found that they can buy and sell used books online and are making out like bandits. The bookstores I frequent in town are now making more selling online than they do through their shop. Prior to the Internet, we only had access to a small number of best sellers at the local bookshop. The internet has greatly expanded our horizons. With the Internet, we are all bookstores. We have access to more works and our collections have greater value. I say, ignore the nattering nabobs of negativism. This ability to buy and sell online has greatly expanded our horizons.


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