One of the developments that caused an instant negative reaction from people in the publishing industry is the introduction of eReaders. Millions of readers protested, claiming that they like the smell of books, their weight in the hand, and the familiar gesture of flipping through pages. Others said that they like to display their libraries with their mixtures of dog-eared paperbacks and pristine hardcovers.

In stark contrast to the initial reaction that people had towards eReaders, their complaints have died down to indiscernible murmurs. People began to realize that they like the convenience of eBooks. They also like the fact that they can buy more books because they are cheaper. There is a raging debate that eBooks might eventually overshadow paperbacks, but many people agree that physical books will never disappear.

Some sellers of print books are not so confident that their bookstores will survive. The indie publishing industry is on an unstoppable growth curve and many indie authors are opting to sell their books online. If this trend continues, traditional bookstores will lose a lot of business. Indie authors do not share the mindset of traditional authors. Traditional authors write books in the hope that they will get published and sold by big publishers. However, since indie authors publish their own books, they think like retailers and not like authors.

Self-publishing authors are attracted by online book sellers because they can incur minimal costs when they sell their books electronically. Readers are also tempted to buy eBooks because they are affordable and convenient. Another factor that is taking business away from bookstores is print on demand publishing.

Since the tides are moving against traditional bookstores, is there anything they can do to prevent their inevitable demise? There are several advantages that bricks-and-mortar stores have over online publishers such as Amazon. Physical bookstores offer customers face-to-face interaction and have trained professionals who can turn the process of buying books into an enjoyable experience.

Traditional bookstores can modify their premises to offer other services instead of just selling books. For instance, they could turn certain parts of their stores into meeting places for customers to have coffee when they are not buying books. Small bookstores are now choosing to target specific people rather than trying to cater to everyone’s needs. By doing this, they can bet on a group of readers who may become their loyal followers and help them survive the eReader revolution.

Some bookstores are choosing to pair books with food, others are pushing wines besides books, and others are attracting customers in more creative ways. The Andover Bookstore sells yarn and frequently hosts several crochet and knitting clubs. At a bookstore in Wichita, Kansas, for instance, book clubs are taken very seriously. In fact, Watermark Books hosts over a dozen book clubs and also helps them to choose their next reads.

Despite the rising popularity of eBooks, it appears that traditional bookstores are not going anywhere. Although some bookstores will eventually go out of business, those that are able to adapt to the changing times will still be around in the future. Due to the upheavals the publishing industry has undergone over the decades, bookstores have been under constant threat but it’s no wonder why they are still around.