When I spotted my childhood Barnes & Noble was closing, I used to be devastated. I’m an indie bookstore lover, however rising up, there have been no indie bookstores in my city: just one beautiful, cozy Barnes & Noble. We went to ebook golf equipment there as youngsters, met there as teenagers principally each Friday night time, studied for the SATs there, received espresso there to catch up over summers residence from faculty. It held tons of concentrated recollections.
The excellent news was that it was merely transferring, not closing for good. It would have a brand new location and be one of many first “new Barnes & Noble stores” utilizing their new format, strategy, and mannequin. But was that excellent news?
Let’s again up. Years in the past, there was a push to assist indies over mega chains, however in recent times, Amazon’s menace has modified the story considerably, main many ebook lovers (me included) to acknowledge that Barnes & Noble, as one of many few remaining brick-and-mortar chains, remains to be a preferable choice over Amazon. They’ve made some headway over the previous couple years as they as soon as once more spin to turning into the “hero” of the story, the big-box retailer that outlasted and survived Amazon, proving our love of bodily areas and bodily books regardless of the chances.
However, their new makes an attempt to rejuvenate their shops are a approach to acceptable the nice and cozy coziness and belief we’ve got in an indie bookstore whereas taking away the mechanics of an indie on the again finish. The maze-like format is supposed to be a “curated, cozy, and welcoming space for communities to work, read and browse.” But whereas branding and new layouts could appear harmless, anybody who has labored within the enterprise world is aware of that it’s typically extra sophisticated than it seems.
After Barnes & Noble was bought to a hedge fund in 2019, house owners Elliott Advisors introduced in James Daunt, the chief government of UK chain Waterstones (owned by the identical firm, I ought to add). His technique for saving Barnes & Noble included giving native shops extra individualized flexibility to decide on what they promote primarily based on native demand, transferring away from the items and toys part, transferring areas into smaller bodily areas, and redesigning the shops.
It’s not a coincidence that Barnes & Noble sought to seize one thing of what the indies have been bringing to the desk. Over the pandemic, books boomed, however so did a sure nostalgia for bodily areas and for wandering and shopping in-person. Indie bookstores benefited from this, and new ones have been popping up all around the nation over the previous few years. Barnes & Noble needs to make the most of this second.
But all moments aren’t created equal. As Jenn Northington unpacked in her piece in 2022, there was a 12.4% drop in hardcover gross sales from 2021 to 2022. And in 2022, Twitter buzzed with the belief that Barnes & Noble’s new coverage appeared to be to inventory solely hardcovers that had “proven sales” data, making it more durable for debut authors, “genre” authors, and authors historically uncared for by the business (individuals of shade, queer and trans authors, disabled authors, and many others.) to be found.
Northington says it greatest:
“If the only hardcovers you can find at your local branch are also the ones that are on the bestseller list, which are also the ones getting marketing dollars, which are also the ones that the algorithms are suggesting to you online, then the chances of, say, a debut author from a marginalized community getting their book in front of your face long enough for you to see it and consider buying it are lower than ever.”
Some argue that it’s okay as a result of B&N will nonetheless promote a extra numerous collection of paperbacks — these guidelines are just for hardcover releases. But how will you get a paperback printing in case your hardcover doesn’t promote? And how can your hardcover promote if a bookseller received’t promote it except you may show it should promote prematurely?
Barnes & Noble is attempting to seize the surprise of wandering your native indie bookstore, whereas concurrently narrowing how a lot you may presumably uncover. It needs you to suppose that it’s as private and native as your unbiased bookstore could be, whereas exhibiting you a similar 5 books you’ve already seen blasted throughout BookTok. They’ll proceed to get that good bestseller cash whereas convincing those that they’re in a group house.
They not too long ago modified their membership mannequin and within the course of, quietly ended their Educator Program. This gave academics 20% off books, toys, and video games for classroom use. When they sunsetted this system, they instructed these academics simply join their new membership program, which prices $40 a yr and provides 10% off.
The implication is clear. Barnes & Noble is attempting to enhance their backside line. Which is okay: a bookstore is a enterprise, and a sequence must generate profits to maintain shops open. What I don’t like is that they’re quietly prioritizing income in ways in which damage the objectives of the literary group whereas additionally pushing this imaginative and prescient of Barnes & Noble as your native indie that helps your group and is a haven for readers. They are placing on the costume and language of a reasonably neighborhood unbiased bookstore, however their inside mechanics are nonetheless all big-box chain company. They’re attempting to disguise their profit-driven company choices behind fairly warm-lit curtains.
I not too long ago walked via my native Barnes & Noble, moved and modified as it’s. For all of its modifications, it felt in some way colder than the previous, barely outdated wooden and inexperienced carpeting. The science fiction and fantasy part had the most well-liked authors, and nothing I hadn’t but heard about lay on the show tables. There have been two gigantic cabinets stuffed with books and merch from a 2000s fantasy collection within the YA part. It was surprisingly troublesome to seek out something.
In latest years, I’ve made positive to purchase one thing from my native retailer, to maintain it going. It was my native bookstore in any case, and I wished it to remain. Now, there’s no want. Even if I might discover one thing I wished (which I really struggled to do), I’m saving my cash for my native indies again in Chicago.
I’m again to feeling like supporting Barnes & Noble is not any completely different from supporting these foolish Amazon Books brick and mortars. It’s a reasonably retailer to browse, when you aren’t really searching for one thing new to learn. It’s a neighborhood bookstore set with no substance — the dedication to the group isn’t there, the depth of ebook choice isn’t there, the invention is simply primarily based within the bestseller lists. Some individuals don’t have a alternative about the place to browse, and rising up, I used to be one in every of them. I’m glad that I grew up within the age of a unique type of Barnes & Noble, and am dissatisfied in what they’re turning into.
For extra on the brand new Barnes & Noble, take a look at latest tales from Jenn Northington on the background of the chain’s modifications, and from Kelly Jensen on the membership program overhaul.
Discussion about this post