Did that get your attention? I hope so. Because as I’ve been gathering thoughts on online marketing, it hasn’t escaped my notice that Borders Books has gone under. Now, while this hasn’t hurt my bank account, it hurts to see a local bookstore go under for various reasons.
We have will have had a Borders in Columbia for several years. It was a nice store to meet people for coffee and things like that. If you had to make a last minute book purchase, the place was very convenient.
These days, to be honest, I tend to order print books from Amazon. But then, we don’t have a really decent indie bookseller convenient to where I live. Certainly not one with a selection of books anywhere near as good as I would prefer.
What few indie bookstores I’m aware of have a very small selection and are way the hell out in the sticks. And if you think I’m driving out there when I can just order them online, well …
But like I say, Borders is was will be convenient until it closes by September. This news really bummed me out a bit, when I read it yesterday. And it had nothing to do with my bank account or my book sales.
This was bad news for my community. And the people who enjoy Borders as a community center. Not to mention the store’s employees.
But I couldn’t sit around and stew about it. I had to get cracking. So I ran up to my computer and dashed off a quick post about two inspirational articles in the Washington Post Magazine, because I thought they were #totallyawesome. But, hey, that’s just me. 
Then, I tweeted the post, then after replying to some other tweets, I tweeted that I was going to see Thomas Kaufman, a local mystery author who sets his stories in DC, at his 5 p.m. book signing at Politics and Prose, an indie bookstore in DC.
Then I got off the damn computer and took a shower (which is a big pain when one of your hands isn’t fully functional, believe me lol). Then, I toweled off, dressed and dried my hair. Then, I was like, “Doh! I should have told Marissa Payne. She lives in DC. I never get to see her. I’ll send a quick tweet. Just in case.” (In my defense, this was a really last minute decision, okay?)
So I ran to my computer (again!) And I tweeted this to her: Hey, if UR near Politics & Prose, I’ll B there 4 a friend’s signing today @ 5 p.m. Sorry abt the l8t notice #iamstupid :-/
Then, I finally walked away from the freaking computer and left the house. Finally!
We drove all the way into Northwest DC. And we found a parking space in the crowded lot right behind the store, which was totally awesome and unexpected.
And Politics and Prose is a really cool store. It’s an independent bookstore that’s well-known throughout the DC area. Just check out their Web site!
So, anyway … before the signing, my husband and I had sandwiches and espresso in the coffeehouse part of the store. And I told him it reminded me of Italy. (Really!)
And he said it reminded him of Venice. I’m not sure which city it reminded me of, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Florence where we climbed 463 freakin’ steps to get to the top of The Duomo. And that ain’t no sh*t! But I digress …
Then, we found seats. Thomas drew a great crowd. Yay, Thomas! 
I was happy for the dude. Authors can have a bear of a time drawing people to events sometimes. But I think this bookstore is a really great venue, because it’s more than a bookstore. It’s a community center. It’s a gathering place. It’s a place where the employees know books and can really help the customers find what they’re looking for.
Anyway, afterward I went up and spoke with Thomas and introduced him to my husband. I explained how he used to be a DC firefighter, which interested Thomas, of course. I said he’d probably have loads of stories. 
I think Thomas probably knew what I was getting at.
Anyhow, we got to talking, so before the store manager bodily dragged me out of the store the people in line got too impatient, we said our goodbyes. And the whole thing was awesome.
I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention that Thomas Kaufman signed his latest Willis Gidney novel STEAL THE SHOW. Or that he mentioned that Lawrence Block (among the greatest of hardboiled mystery writing authors — no lie!) is one of his favorite authors. Have I mentioned that Lawrence Block follows me on Twitter and vice versa? That loud clunk you heard was the sound of a HUGE name being dropped.
My point is you should balance your online life with your offline life, i.e., don’t spend all your time on your computer. Really!
PS: I know, I know … I’m shameless …
August 2, 2011 at 5:29 am
Debbi, I loved Lawrence Block’s book about writing. He got his points across with such wit. I’ve read it a number of times and while my writing might not have improved I always get something from it.
August 2, 2011 at 9:53 am
His Matthew Scudder series is one of my very favorites, but I’ve also read various books he’s written about different protagonists. Block has a unique ability to write about very diverse types of people and situations. The tone and voice of each series tends to alter as necessary, to reflect the differences between them. He’s an amazing writer, no question.
August 8, 2011 at 11:53 pm
Hi Debbie,
My name is Nakeia and I couldn’t help but comment on your mention of the Columbia, MD Borders Bookstore closing. It was hard for me to shop there after the computers were shut down…not because of obvious reasons like they couldn’t get this book I really wanted. No. It was because the atmosphere was somber. It was actually uncomfortable. I couldn’t even enjoy finding items on sale and ended up buying a fraction of the books I would normally…I’m not an exclusive Borders shopper but anytime a bookstore closes in this fashion, it’s like watching someone make a “dog-ear” on a perfectly flat page, Just unnecessary.
Nakeia
August 14, 2011 at 10:21 pm
Hi Nakeia,
I didn’t buy books that often at the Columbia Borders, but I did make occasional last-minute purchases there. I think your comment about the atmosphere being “somber” and (probably) unwelcoming is part of the reason the chain suffered in general. On the whole, I hate to see a local business go under, in any case. Bookstore or otherwise.
One thing I hoped to capture in my post was the difference between a local bookstore geared toward community needs (such as Politics and Prose, which also benefits from a good location) as opposed to more generic big box chains that don’t seem as customer-oriented (Columbia is also a good location, where you’d expect people interested in books to live).
Frankly, I think the survival of bookstores will depend upon how relevant they can make their services at a time when more readers are choosing to purchase ebooks and print books through online retailers. I think they can do this, but they need to gear their thinking toward how this can be done given changes in the publishing industry, i.e., they need to face the realities of today’s market for authors and readers. Just my .02.