By Edward Nawotka
Today’s feature story covering the Spanish e-book market and the evolving battleground between overseas multinationals, like Amazon, and local booksellers, such as Casa del Libro.
In the United States, in particular, “buy local” campaigns have argued there are significant benefits to buying from local booksellers. This has been an especially strong movement in favor of independent booksellers in their fight against chain bookseller Barnes & Noble and online giant Amazon. The IndieBound campaign of the American Booksellers Association (ABA), argues there are several benefits to buying from a local store:
The Economy
- Spend $100 at a local business and $68 of that stays in your community. Spend the same $100 at a national chain, and your community only sees $43.
- Local businesses create higher paying jobs for our neighbors.
- More of your taxes are reinvested in your community — where they belong.
The Community
- Local retailers are your friends, neighbors–support them and they’ll support you.
- Local businesses donate to charities and events (especially local ones) at more than twice the rate of national chains.
- More independents means more choice, more diversity, and a truly unique community.
So, how important is it for Europeans to consider the same factors when choosing from which stores they want to buy their e-books. In the US this year, the ABA thought e-book purchases was a significant enough factor that they partnered with Google to make e-books available through the websites of local booksellers.
Considering the state of the European economy, should the Spaniards, Italians and Germans, who have all seen Amazon open e-bookstores in recent months, reserve their purchases for indigenous companies? It’s certain these local companies could use the support. And if, as IndieBound has proven, shopping locally has undeniable benefits to the local economy, should this be a consideration with customers before they make their purchases?
Amazon has an undeniable pedigree and reputation for servicing customers, yet their commitment to developing jobs and returning money directly into the local overseas economy — and stimulate jobs — still remains to be seen.
Let us know what you think in the comments.
4 Comments
If we wish to maintain a diverse book world in the digital era with a wide range of distribution and sales points, we must not leave the future of online publishing in in the hands of three or four platforms, regardless of whether they may be national or international. A diverse and broad range of virtual bookstores will guarantee greater competition among them, resulting in better services and a greater offer of contents for all readers
I agree that “online trust” is an important issue but “buying local” to sustain the local community is equally important. Ideally local bookstore should link into major available platforms – in the case of Spain Casa del Libro and others like Amazon.es – so that a maximum of books becomes available to its customers. Because buying books online remains for most people a bit of a mystery and it’s easier to buy out of the catalogue that comes with your e-reader (I know I do!).
That’s the “easy” solution for readers and it seems to me that the job of local bookstores would be to help their customers access different titles on different platforms – something no one seems to do on their own (except those who are Internet savvy…but most people aren’t).
“Buying local means less packaging, less transportation, and a smaller carbon footprint”
….and here is where you lost me. How does an ebook have packaging or transportaion? And it has a smaller carbon footprint than paper books.
I think the author is just pulling talking points about “buy local” and trying to apply them to ebooks. This article is a mish-mash.
the bookstores -on and offline must rethink their business and add value to a buying experience when a reader vist their website for buying a ebbok. The question is why buy this e book in this web?
What Casa del libro has done is a pretty good strategy. The satisfaction of their customers is high by now, so it will be with the e books purchases