The EBook Revolution and Bookstores

With ebooks taking charge of the reading market, it might be hard for a bookstore to stay in the business. And even before e-books came along, local bookstores were plenty challenged by competition from Amazon, whose deep discounts on printed books are impossible to match. Headquarted in Toronto and owned by Japanese e-commerce behemoth Rakuten, Kobo doesn’t rival the high profile of Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes & Noble’s Nook in the U.S. But as a major e-book power that isn’t controlled by a giant book seller — with devices, apps and e-books to compete with the Kindle and Nook — it’s a logical ally for a local bookstore, which is why the American Bookseller Association partnered with it to help independent stores such as Green Apple in San Francisco delve into e-books. So one of the best ways for bookstore to stay in business is to be able to also offer ebooks and readers. Personally, I still purchase books in print form. There are certain things that all that application development and technology cannot replace.