Black People : Only 54 Black Owned Bookstores Remain in America

[skuderjaymes]

book stores period are struggling.. and it's not just about competing with Amazon.. it's about competing with every other mode of information/entertainment available for free via the internet. It's incredibly hard to sell what folks can get for free. Why buy Van Sertima's books when you can listen to his lectures instead?

combine that with the fact that major book stores have so-called "black literature" sections..

and also throw in the plethora of bootleg downloadable black books on the internet..

and you have what we have: a decline.

 

[CSmith]

I've been to several closing book stores in order to get cheap books. Even the top book stores (Borders) are going out of business all over the place. So, I'm not shocked that independent black-owned businesses are going out of business.

That said, I'm a book fiend and it's sad that the Internet is killing bookstores, but it's inevitable. E-books are cheaper, easily downloaded, and you can carry thousands of them on one device.

Nowadays the only time I really need a physical book is when I'm buying a textbook.

 

[CSmith]

book stores period are struggling.. and it's not just about competing with Amazon.. it's about competing with every other mode of information/entertainment available for free via the internet. It's incredibly hard to sell what folks can get for free. Why buy Van Sertima's books when you can listen to his lectures instead?

combine that with the fact that major book stores have so-called "black literature" sections..

and also throw in the plethora of bootleg downloadable black books on the internet..

and you have what we have: a decline.

Bootlegging books is probably a huge problem. I am someone who buys a lot of books despite being able to just go online and download literally thousands in minutes.

 

[skuderjaymes]

Bootlegging books is probably a huge problem. I am someone who buys a lot of books despite being able to just go online and download literally thousands in minutes.

bootlegging is a symptom of a problem.. what we really need is an updated access to written material. The traditional format does not match the times. In the same way that Apple's Itunes met the demand of the public for legally purchaseable digital music, the publishing industry needs to update it's model.. and not just putting books in digital form.. you should be able to purchase individual chapters.. you should be able to custom select the content for the book you wish to purchase.. and have the option to have a hard-copy created. I shouldn't have to purchase an entire book in order to get the 2 or 3 chapters I want.

 

[skuderjaymes]

I've been to several closing book stores in order to get cheap books. Even the top book stores (Borders) are going out of business all over the place. So, I'm not shocked that independent black-owned businesses are going out of business.

That said, I'm a book fiend and it's sad that the Internet is killing bookstores, but it's inevitable. E-books are cheaper, easily downloaded, and you can carry thousands of them on one device.

Nowadays the only time I really need a physical book is when I'm buying a textbook.

quiet as it's kept.. the internet has actually killed the entire economy. As much as we love it.. we also have to understand how it has affected the flow of dollars in our Cities and States.