I’ve heard a LOT of talk lately about the death of bookstores and why it’s happening. most people blame ebooks, but I think it’s more than that. or less, depending on how you look at it.
here’s what I think the reason is, and you are more than welcome to disagree with me, but in a nutshell: hardly anyone wants to pay for their entertainment anymore. they pirate music, movies and books. they want what they want, they want it NOW, they want it to be stellar and most of all, they want it to be FREE. as someone who has ebooks that are priced at only 99 cents and people STILL steal them, I can see that they don’t want to actually get up, leave their houses and then PAY for the art they consume. (where the joy in browsing stores went, I don’t know. maybe it’s a generational thing.)
piracy is a cancer and it’s killing artists. e-readers can-and are-being used as weapons against us. (but in case you’re wondering, I am most definitely NOT in the anti-e-reader camp. I own one and I love it and I’ve never pirated anything in my life.) I don’t have any answers, unfortunately. this is totally off the cuff and I just wanted to jot down my thoughts before they floated away.
so, take this or leave it. it’s all good. 🙂
hope you have an amazing weekend!
g.