The Book Blogger Hop was originally created by Jennifer @ Crazy-For-Books in March 2010 and ended on December 31, 2012. With Jennifer’s permission, Coffee Addicted Writer relaunched the hop on February 15, 2013. Each week the hop will start on a Friday and end the following Thursday. There will be a weekly prompt featuring a book related question. The hop’s purpose is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.
The Book Blogger Hop post image was created by Coffee Addicted Writer.
This Week’s Question
Is it difficult to find new books in local bookstores? (Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)
I live in the most populous county of Virginia, so thankfully it’s not difficult to find new books in local bookstores since there’s a large population that can support the presence of many such stores. In addition to a Barnes & Noble, there’s an independent bookstore about a 10-minute drive from my house. And I just learned of another one about a 20-minute drive from my house.
Thankfully the closest store to me (the independent seller) is great about stocking new releases. In fact, I frequently visit their new release page for inspiration. And most of the time I have no problem finding something interesting to pick up there. However, I have had to order several books they don’t automatically keep in stock. Those are generally from independent publishers, though my bookstore, I think, is very cognizant of keeping at least the “Indie Next List” books on their shelves.
So, overall, no, it’s not difficult for me to find new books in my local bookstores.
This is a great post! It’s wonderful that you’re able to find new books at your local bookstores! In my case, I’ve noticed it depends on what bookstores I go to. Some offer a wide variety of new releases, while others have very limited selection to choose from.
Thanks! I feel very fortunate that the bookstores near me are able to stock new releases ranging from traditionally to independently published. What type of bookstores do you tend to see a more limited selection from which to choose? That is, from indie bookshops or bigger companies?
Books are expensive in Canada, even at the big-box stores. It’s not uncommon for hardbacks to go for $30 CAD (about $23 American). The indie bookstores are not always able to be competitive with these prices, which can unfortunately make it even more expensive to get a hold of things.
I find I have the most luck with big bookstores, simply because they have the ability to stock more things in the store. There’s an indie bookstore within walking distance from me that does free pre-order in-store pickups, but their physical store space is very small. So the number of new releases they can stock is of course, limited.
It’s mostly traditionally published new releases. I don’t often see independently published books there.
I do agree that indie bookstores are generally not competitive with the bigger chains, which makes me sad. (Because I’m not a huge fan of the ‘zon, though, I’ll only use them as a last resort, which I’m about to do because a book I want to buy as a gift is only in the UK and I can’t find a US pub date??) Books aren’t inexpensive here in the U.S., either. YA books are generally $18 USD ($23 CAD) and Adult books are usually $28 ($37 CAD). So I find that I only buy from indie bookstores if it’s a new book I’m really interested in, or if I’m buying a gift. Otherwise I prefer to go to library book sales or buy from overstock book websites like Book Outlet.
I’m glad you have an indie bookstore near you as an option, though. I wonder if there’s a correlation between size of indie bookstore and the amount of time they’ve been in business. I’ve been to a couple of indies on the east coast (Boston & Portland, Maine) that have been around for 60 & 130 years, respectively, and both are large and/or have multiple locations. My local store isn’t tiny, but it is a fraction of the size of Barnes & Noble, so I’m always impressed by how many different titles they’re able to stock.