/lit/ - Literature

have a community that doesn't blow/live in portland

I live in a clone town, OP. Meaning the town consists of nothing but high street retail stores.

Within a 2 mile radius are 3 McDonalds, 2 Burger Kings, 3 WHSmiths, 5 Greggs', 2 Topmans, 3 H&Ms etc.

There are 2 waterstones but no independent book stores which sucks.

But I can imagine your situation being worse. Do you have a library? Because they sometimes do book sales and if not, maybe make a book sale yourself? If there's a market, and companies know it then a store will be created.

Stock it with Jodi Piccoult, John Grisham, Terry Pratchett, and dictionaries. You just appealed to every audience.

> What would I have to do in order to open a book store of my own and have it be successful?

1. move to a large urban centre with a vivid art and literature scene.
2. befried many authors and editors in order to organize events at your bookshop.

unless you sell drugs and guns under the counter, privately owned bookshops are not profitable any more. even the big chains sell all kinds of shit besides books.
And the books that are sold the most belong to the so called non-readers segment: books people buy that usually do not read.

>>1460974
Op here. Sounds about like my town. I live along the interstate so it's mainly fast food, gas stations, and hotels/motels for travelers. We do have a small library, I haven't been in there forever myself and I haven't heard of them doing a book sale in a long time. I'll have to check into it. I'd like the store to be my own little store rather than a companies, but that would probably be less work/stress on me. it's a lot to take in.

Ebook dispenser. Make a deal with amazon/barnes&nobles/borders to come up with a redbox-esque machine that has oodles of ebooks that you can buy if you bring your kindle/nook/whatever and a usb cord.

Don't worry guys, I just found out about this new thing called the internet where you can order books from a large number of different retailers and get them delivered to your door.

>>1461002
Come up with a rent-a-book system with something like this.

>>1461012
WITH THIS LOGIC, EVERY BUSINESS SHOULD JUST GO ONLINE AND CLOSE DOWN ALL STORES.

>>1461012
Sounds like an economic apocalypse if you take it too far.

In my hometown (I've moved since, thankfully) there was a discussion at the City Council (or some other official gathering) at which it was decided that the education level and intelligence level there were not high enough to support a real bookstore.

In other words, I feel your pain OP.

assuming you dont want to move:
how many people live in your town?
do you believe there is a large enough customer base in order to support your business?

also, if you wanted to open a bookstore you would need to upfront a rather large amount of capital for the rent, the furnishings, the insurance and the stock by way of a credit.
think about it, is having a bookstore not more of a romantic idea you like to see yourself in instead of an actual solution to your problem that there is no bookstore in your area?

>>1461036
That sounds about right. And yes, I am mad.

>>1461038
Population is about 16957. But that's not counting the towns surrounding mine that have to come to our town for food and everything. I'd like to believe there is a large enough population base to support me.

Having a book store is both. I'd like to see myself in a small business just coasting my way through life. Also, it's very depressing seeing that there is no bookstore in our town. I have quite a few friends that enjoy reading and are confused as to why we don't have a bookstore as well. And I'm pretty sure they'd enjoy not having to drive 45 minutes to get a book.

5

Regular bookstores are no more. Let's get innovative here fellas. We need a place for the hipster-y crowd primarily. I propose a bookstore/cafe. Get some local bands to play some non-hardcore, pleasant to the ears music, offer free wifi, have plug outlets at every table for laptop chargers&etc., and lend out EPUBs like some libraries have started doing.

>>1461068
Yes. More ideas like this.

Not sure if the band idea will work here. But for the majority, the rest of it sounds like a B-A-M.

you could just start by buying lots of cheap books and selling them on the net/out of your garage (or at a market, assuming the town has one). then just build up money from there.

but the town does have to have a certain education level for even this to be profitable.

so you might have trouble if you live in places like the USA.

>>1461068
Something like this would be nice. It sounds like the sorta place I'd spend some of my free-time at.

>>1461082
if by BAM you mean books a million, they don't have free wi-fi (you have to have their "membership" card to access it: costs 20 bucks), and they don't hand out epubs; nor do they offer plugs at "every table."

BAM is too mainstream.

The US Mail delivers to your town, you live in America. You have internet, or you wouldn't post here.

So why are you driving over an hour round trip to buy books again?

So what would be the best way to go about getting my ideas out there? Just send some E-mails to Amazon, B&N, and B-A-M letting them know I have a business idea?

>>1461124
I don't know. Maybe I'd like some reason to leave the house for a couple hours rather than being shut in all down. Sometimes I like to sit down and read a bit of the books before I buy them.

>>1461134
all day*

Silly me.

I wanted to open a bookstore here but everyone and their dog appears to have had the same idea.

>>1461134
Not OP but it's also nice to peruse the bookstore from time to time. Every once in a while you will make a discovery by picking up a book and thumbing through it that you may not otherwise, were you looking online.

bump

>>1460961
McDonalds spends a shit load of money discovering where best to put up a new restaurant. so i think it would be best to try and put up a book shop next to a fast food place.

>>1461219
A hokey little bookstore wouldn't be able to afford premium rents like that.

>>1461020
You cut down on the costs of security, renting the store, the basic fact that there will be shoplifter, insurance, and who knows what else.

Also, you gain a massive amount of possible customers compared to a person living in "middle of nowhere North Carolina".

Yeah, a lot of businesses should move online and they are

Bricks and mortar store + putting your stock on abebooks is the best option.

>>1461229
All true stuff, but you also put a bunch of people out of a job.

a bookstore ain't enough

you'll have to do whatever you can to attract customers

probably make it a side-coffeeshop and even try to get local acts for music gigs or something

also, open it up near a place of education so you can at least try for the youngun' hangout

My home town had about 3 used books stores 1 small new book store and the 2 college bookstores. Still I think we might be down to 1 used bookstore and the 2 college bookstores.

>>1461236
or you can go the opposite direction try to get middle-aged ladies.

Unfortunately, bookshops are dead. The supermarket can buy up a trillion copies of the latest Dan Brown or John Grisham or who the fuck and they get massively reduced prices, so they can bang it out at half the cover price. Back in the day, Grisham and co used to subsidise the smaller bookshop, because the prices were the same wherever you were, now the big stores are crippling, and unless you've some unique selling point, Borders, Walmart and the other big guys are going to fuck you up. Plus the majority of your clientele (the ones looking for obscure/cool/literary books) are hoovering them up on line, because no bookshop can match Amazon's range, or undercut them.

I used to love my friendly neighbourhood bookshop, but I watched it wither and die about ten years ago, and I can't see anything else replacing it.

sell used ebooks.

>>1461233
Then those people out of a job should star their own small buisnesses

>>1461251

Hey OP-
I always kinda wanted to have a bookstore too. You can get tons of books very cheap at booksales (large scale booksales like http://www.booksalefinder.com/ has. I can build bookshelves and I would do the woodcarving for them. Set up an espresso machine and have some good hot cocoa, do a live night once or twice a week, and sell craftsman style ornately carved furniture, like is displayed in the store, on the side. Set up some chess games.
Pipe dream, though. My town eats tiny businesses and downtown is loveable but dead. I had a guy who sold new and used guitars and instruments and he said no one actually bought anything, though a lot of people came to sell/hang out/ask for a job. He made some money with the live gigs he had there, but not enough to stay open.
Live the dream, OP. Please succeed.

>>1461256
>doesn't want to work hard towards a successful life

Op here. So basically what it sounds like I should do is:
>Go to book sales
>Buy tons of books
>Start an online business

Since everything seems to be online and hopefully don't end up with a room full of books that I'll never sell.

>>1461271

It shames the world, but it's probably your only option. Not exactly the life of sitting around in your own place drinking espresso and discussing Kierkegaard with the local intellegentsia, eh?

Oh, and PROTIP: You're going to end up with a room full of unsold books - Amazon have the used book market stitched up as well

>>1461276
>sitting around in your own place drinking espresso and discussing Kierkegaard with the local intellegentsia
haha, oh boy, try living in reality eh?

>>1461276
>Not exactly the life of sitting around in your own place drinking espresso and discussing Kierkegaard with the local intellegentsia, eh?
Would have been nice.

Guess I should save up some cash, get a wholesaler asking for a current book list, spend about 500 bucks on books and go from there.

Any ideas on websites and how to get my name out there?

>>1461294

Errrm, can you actually read, tripfag? The whole point was that it's an unrealistic expectation. Other than that, keep up the good work.

Cunt.

>>1461338
HAHA reality check

>>1461350

I don't think you even know what you mean. This isn't trolling, it's just typing. You fail.

>>1461374
>trolled by Taiga
just leave nub

~tybrax

>>1461229
>>1461260
>>1461294
>>1461350
Please go back to /a/. They miss you.

>>1461338
A tripfag who identifies with shitty cartoons is giving you a reality check. That, in and of itself, is a reality check.

I think you should all stop being mean to Taiga.

>>1461428
I think you should put your tripcode back on, taiga

Op here.

My thread... :[

>>1461445
>mfw he thinks I'm Taiga

stop living in Barnardsville!

>>1461512
>>1461428

Oh god. There's another one. WTF is it with this board? Srsly, c/lit/, the fuck?

>>1461824
>another one
>implying I've not been David Mitchelling for a few weeks

>>1461834

I was commenting more on the clumping effect at the moment. I've seen your schtick. Don't rate it, to be honest. You're weaksauce.

>My face when OP thinks he can realistically open up a book store that won't go bankrupt within a few years.

Sorry, but the points others have made are, sadly true. Unless you live in a somewhat affluent area, in the middle of nowhere, you don't really stand a chance.

>>1461845
I don't quite understand what you think my 'schtick' is. But you're entitled to your opinion, and I respect that.

Haven't read thread,

but I'm in Raleigh, I'd drive a long way to go to your bookstore now-and-then OP.

>My face when OP think he can open up a bookstore that won't tank within a few years.

Sorry dude, but as others have poined out - you don't stand a chance, unless you live in a somewhat affluent place, in the middle of nowhere. Independant bookstores - hell even huge chains such as Borders are losing money hand over fist, due to Supermarkets (especially in the UK, though I'd imagine it's the same in America) selling 'popular' - i.e books most peeps want to read, books, for next to nohting, and online stores such as Amazon, having a huge selection to cater for pretty much everyone else.

I recommend a combination book store/tobacconist/classy blues bar.

I hate shops. Sales assistants make me edgy.
Amazon is perfect for me even before you take into account that everything is cheaper (once you've bought enough not to have to pay for p&p).
I get a small amount of pleasure everytime one of my local independant shops, be it book shop or whatever, closes down.

>>1461904
Oh look. It's Super Hans.

>>1461910
Alright, Mark.
Lets shit some data out of that blocked up brain of yours.

>>1461933
>uses my name
>uses pictures of Super Hans
>doesn't even change the file name
That's not how we do things here, Super Hans.

>>1461936
Shove a chicken up your ass and get back to work Corrigan.

>>1461946
Yes, sorry Johnson.

>>1461936

>doesn't even change the file name

You don't copy and paste a url into the file field??
What are you..like some sort of ultimate spaz

>>1461948
>Implying all my reaction images are found via google images.

The most successful bookstore keeper in town here (South-eastern Ontario, not in Toronto or the GTA) has a sympathetic landlady and an independent art gallery with commissioned sales in the back, a room which he painted stark white. For the effect of a second story, several staircases sidling bookshelves run both interior sides, and the back section has one on the left, too. The man sells philately and vinyl records on a little island in the very front and he is often frequently out of anything I want because "that is a popular publication." He relies on the citizen who brings him book collections to be appraised and purchased by him, and claims to infrequently visit book fairs. He employs nobody, and his competitor does, though he has higher prices and has a lower rent. There used to be an entire sidestreet of bookstores and the ones in the smaller towns surrounding ours are closing. There are troves of books at the Value Village though, they just don't know how to price them. A new bookstore just opened, that sells all new material and overpriced, too. They obviously employ students and I still visit every bookstore wherever I am in the world. I think a local hangout place would have to a) encourage interaction between similar personages b) be large enough for my disappointment of not having enough courage to ask anybody anything to speak to be qualified c) be closer to the suburbs where I live d) oh wait that's a library

Continuing...

You're all making me like peep show less. You should stop it, and then you should feel bad about yourself. Stop pirating other people's ideas, you ideathieves.

>>1461969
A member of my family used to operate a bookstore and went out of business in competition to another used bookshop who overpriced their goods and kept new material in a backroom to sell as if they were rare gems. They're still in business, and that's in a town smaller than mine. So there are some tips. Besides, smart people will haggle and if they succeed they will like coming to your place "to negotiate." Eh? Modesty and commercialism are key, although I prefer private auctions, fairs, and stealing books too much to open a shop. If I were to open a shop, I'd do night courses in a masters degree and not expect to be reading books during my time alone in the shop, but cataloguing, dealing, researching, binding, repairing, and writing. It ain't no picnic. Would I sell e-readers? Would I open in a city which already has a store? No and no. People want integrity and originality, and bookshops are often ingrained into a city's culture, were often inherited by the next generation of the original keep, and can be easily accessed.

A bookshop bar would be fantastic,
>>1461857
and I love well-procured cigars.

itt: everybody talking out their ass

>>1461974
Is that Julian Barratt?

>using someones face as a reaction image
>idea thief

>>1461978
ITT: /lit/

at the flea market in my city, there's an middle aged woman who drives a big 70's van full of paperbacks. Every saturday she sets up some shitty cardtables in a dusty lot and puts boxes of paperbacks out, a quarter each.

if she can make a living doing this (she does, I asked) why do you all predict OP and the entire book industry's failure?

>>1461975
>A bookshop bar would be fantastic,

My theory is it would be a perfect hangout for depressive introverts who still want to get out of the house, while still being able to cater to the trendy douche crowd.

>>1461996
Well the difference is she has very little overhead and probably lives pretty cheaply herself. If you want to have an actual store, then there's more upkeep and overhead.

>>1461987

>Of course it is.
>irony much?

>>1462006
I wold go there.

>>1462006
That could just work.

>mfw this thread is still alive

>>1462238
its only 8 hours old, no thread on /lit/ 404s within 8 hours

Not sure if this sort of thing is for you, OP, but there is a franchise for selling used books that might hook you up.

http://www.anniesbooks.com/about.html

Apparently North Carolina doesn't have one of these yet.

>>1462242

QFT.

ordering books is hard!

Move someplace less shitty?
Alternative and less expensive option...get an E-reader......
>Solving problems like a boss