Is the Birth of E-Books Plotting the Death of Bookstores?

The birth and growth of the paperback industry can be traced back to the flourishing of book readership within the years 1935 and 1960. On the said periods, a changed understanding of books had emerged, characterized by a surging circulation and increasing support among the reading market. Over the years, paperback and book distribution businesses employed business and software strategies that kept up with technology advancements.

Owing to the success in the paperback publishing and book selling businesses, companies ventured into international business marketing as the industry amassed more and more support spanning across consumer groups - from the educational sector to the buying public that rooted for romance novels.

Fast forward to today, a recent study released by The Association of American Publishers points to a 14% decline in overall mass market of paperback sales since 2008. The otherwise robust industry is seeing an impending wane, with the introduction of new readership format that is apparently thwarting it: e-book.

The surging interest and preference on e-books is suggestive of a death-of-bookstores-everywhere phenomenon. A Forrester Research study profiling adult e-book readers in the United States indicates that spending on digital books will climb to as much as $3 billion by 2015.

A Gartner, Inc. blog emphasizes how e-Books are resolving the many issues that have been hounding the book retailing industry, particularly those that relate to cost and channel. Coupled by a heavy decline in consumer spending, the emergence of Internet e-Book retailing is seen to force printed books to succumb to the digital era. Worth mentioning is the cutthroat competition among e-reader manufacturers Apple, the creator of iPad; Amazon, which recently unveiled Kindle Fire; and Barnes & Noble, the company behind Nook Tablet, the newest fellow in the batch.

Spending-conscious readers, according to The New York Times, are slowing on picking up novels from bookstore shelves. Notably, shelf spaces in book retail chains and bookstores are reserved for the more expensive hardcover or trade paperbacks of their favorite reads. Devoted readers who could not wait for discounted paperback editions are finding that the e-book edition, which is priced just about the same as the former, is made available on the day the book is released.

Arguments and discussions on paperback and e-Book readings abound. Essentially, the benefits of reading digital books center on practicality and cost-savings. For paperback loyalists, however, the experience that actual book reading offers is still the real deal.

While book readership is heading toward eBook support, bookstores may need to revisit their business and software strategies and align them with eager consumers' needs. The Houston Chronicle is noting how independent bookstores are becoming multiple purpose stops, with the addition of cafes and chairs for comfortable reading. Others are also making a gathering venue out of their chains to accommodate school reading programs, author talks, or book club meetings.

That said, experts are saying it may not be too impossible for physical book publication businesses to be positioned as support to the digital publishing industry - and it pays for bookstores to be ready for that.

International business marketing, when paired properly with first-rate business and software strategies, can be a great tool for enterprise success. It has the capability to bridge gaps between an organization and its clients.