Is the closing of Borders a freak or a trend?

1. 78

   Jaggedfrostposted 6 years ago

   Is the closing of Borders a freak or a trend?
   
   How would one go about getting people to care more about the written word or has the internet all but killed book stores?

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2. 82

   point2makeposted 6 years ago

   Unfortunately it is probably an irreversible trend. Books and the written word are forever changed and I, for one, believe we will lose something in the change. The Internet make it very difficult, if not impossible, for a book store to survive long term.

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3. 61

   Damiendarbyposted 6 years ago

   It's a mixture of the internet, and ebooks, although ultimately it is the consumers pushing the prices of information, ebooks, music, film, etc. to ZERO.
   
   Technology is going to have drastic implications for the landscape of our generations indeed. All we can do it try to be as informed as we can when consuming. Teach people what it takes to put those shoes from China on their feet, that ereader into their hands, and what the peripheral costs are to artists across the board.
   
   As an ebook author myself I wonder what writers are going to do to make money? What happens if writer, musicians, painters, and photographers simply throw up their hands and stop producing?
   
   Cheers and great post, I hope is garners plenty of attention. Personally the big corporate book stores need to go anyways.

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   1. 78

      Jaggedfrostposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      I wonder if there aren't ways of fixing this problem if authors start treating their books, even ebooks like computer programs or online art.  Maybe see if a programmer can create code that makes the books unpirateable.   I see hurdles but....

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4. 59

   Hezmyjoyposted 6 years ago

   I don't know. Its was freaking me out when it did though.

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5. 61

   isabelamadaunposted 5 years ago

   I worked at Borders for several years, and I would say that while the decrease of sales was a factor, it wasn't the main reason they went under.  There was a lot of mismanagement going on behind the scenes.  They went through a few CEOS in the few years I was there trying to turn things around, for example, and frankly, their Borders Rewards card cost them far more money than it ever made.  I could go on.  The truth is that what happened to Borders was more a trend of a bad economy than a sign that the love of the written word's dying out.

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   1. 78

      Jaggedfrostposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you so much for you r answer and the information that it carries. It is nice to know a little bit more about the inner workings of what happened.  in my area it is only Barns and Noble.  Have you ever considered starting up your own book store?

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   2. 61

      isabelamadaunposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      I haven't really, though it is a thought.  Still, I would love being an author more than selling their works.  How about you?

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6. 83

   Kimberly Vaughnposted 5 years ago

   All the Borders stores by me have closed so I am afraid it is a trend.

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