Forum - View topicNEWS: Elliott Advisors Buys Barnes & Noble Bookstore Chain for About US$683 Million
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HoboSoup
Posts: 361 |
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Okay but you don't have to dismiss me by saying "bla bla bla". That's unnecessarily rude. I grew up going to a massive Borders, it was right down town and easily within walking distance. Then one day it was just gone. I get exactly why people love physical stores. I'm trying to say that utilizing technology and the likes of the internet a person can get great things from both it and physical stores. It has nothing to do with instant gratification for me, it's just nice that I can read and watch a ton of foreign content that I never would have been able to without the internet. Here's something else. I have a friend that was born in China and now lives in Canada, thanks to the internet he's able to enjoy a far wider selection of series in Chinese. Especially because of fan translations, since there are many series that just aren't going to be officially translated into Chinese because of how many series the Chinese government bans. |
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Ushio
Posts: 630 |
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Go away grandpa time to move on or are you still upset that cars replaced horse drawn carriages too. [/img] |
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gaptoothsailor
 Posts: 100 Location: New York |
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My issue with B&N potentially going down as a result of venture capitalism is, like others said, one or more publishers going down with them. I myself buy a LOT of digital titles, manga and light novels alike. But owning a physical book is still different because of how DRM works, and I don't want to be at the mercy of rights holders and pay retail prices for renting a sublicense that can be taken away forever. I'm still wary of what happened to Steam with the Scott Pilgrim game, and I don't look forward to the possibility of that repeating with tons of digital only licenses.
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bones2039
Posts: 103 |
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I hope this isn't the end of B&N. I get the majority of my manga from my local B&N. I don't care that I could save a few bucks ordering online. I like to support my local stores(even big boxes) as they provide local jobs and pay local property and other taxes which means my community benefits some from my silly hobbies. I do try to spend at local small business places first, but at least the local big box provides more to my local community than the online retailer 5 states away does.
That's not to say I don't order online. I do, but usually only things I can't get locally. Online shopping is great for those that live in areas without easy access to certain products. I also feel that buying what's available locally helps me curve my own foolish impulses when it comes to collectables. Can't find it locally, I guess I don't need that $200 masterpiece transformer anyway. I'll admit to being a angry old man yelling at you kids to stay off my lawn because I like physical books over digital ones. I get digital's appeal but it just isn't my thing. I spend my working hours staring at a computer screen, watch tv on a screen, and look at a screen to browse the internet and post about things I enjoy. An actual book is a nice disconnect from all that screen time for me. |
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HoboSoup
Posts: 361 |
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Again I get where people are coming from. I should also clarify by saying I prefer print over digital, I like to actually own what I buy. I simply appreciate that the internet allows me to enjoy reading series where that's not an option. My main point in this entire thread is that I personally like leaving my options open even if I prefer bookstores & print releases. I do think people limit themselves to only things they prefer and what's comfortable for them, however that's their own choice and I'm not trying to change anyone. People here can read stone tablets by candle light for all I care. I genuinely don't want B&N to close like Borders did, I don't want any brick & mortar stores to close.
Being able to read stories that don't get licensed online, and being able to discover niche manga that bookstores often don't carry that I can buy in print online. While also being able to go into a bookstore and browse. That's for me the best of both worlds. Oh and libraries as well, so many libraries are really beautiful. |
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darkestabsol
 Posts: 10 |
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Oof. I don't know what to make of this, though I'm not sure how I feel about someone buying up two large bookstore chains in two different countries. That said, I have never seen a B&N in Canada, so I have little stake in this.
I guess I'm just wary. Here's hoping Elliot leaves Indigo Books alone, since B&N sounds similar to Indigo. |
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Zalis116
Moderator
 Posts: 6872 Location: Kazune City |
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Aura Ichadora
 Posts: 2287 Location: In front of my computer |
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I'm going to try and keep a positive outlook that this new purchase is going to find a way to save Barnes & Noble. I usually go in there 1-2 times a month, and probably 80% of the time I walk away with a new volume of manga. I greatly prefer buying things in store over online purchases, especially when it comes to manga. So I hope that it'll be around for a long time. It sucks that a lot of the things and places I grew up on are going away, and there's not going to be a way for my future children to end up loving them the way I did. I know that's just the way of the times, but still, doesn't make it any less sad.
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Sailor Sedna
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What I meant to say is, I don't want certain things like physical prints to just become obsolete and disappear, I do understand the ability of being able to find manga that don't get licensed in the US. Well, if Barnes & Noble's saved by this, I'll be glad. |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18218 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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While I order almost all of my anime DVDs and BRs online these days, I still prefer to get manga and LNs in person whenever possible, so it's an odd month when I'm not hitting one or more of the three Barnes and Nobles in my general area at least once or twice. I am definitely not a fan of reading manga or LNs electronically and only resort to that when I don't have a choice about it. (Sadly, I may not have a choice about it eventually, as shelf space is starting to become an issue.)
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lossthief
ANN Reviewer
 Posts: 1399 |
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Something else to keep in mind: As much as the narrative is that everything's going Digital these days, basically every interview or Q&A with manga and LN publishers I've read or listened to has mentioned directly that physical sales, from bookstores, are still a sizable portion of their model. B&N going under would massively cut into that and could indeed cause publishers to either close shop or severely restrict their releases.
It would also be a decent hit to niche or lesser-known titles, especially series that don't have anime adaptations. While most digital retailers do offer previews and the like, there's still a larger hurdle to climb for a reader with digital storefronts. Generally if you're looking at a manga or LN listing, it's because you searched for that title or it was directly suggested to by some kind of ad. I doubt there are many people who will just search "manga" on Comixology and sift through every title and description until something catches their eye the way they might when browsing the manga section at B&N or their local library |
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samuelp
Industry Insider
Posts: 2233 Location: San Antonio, USA |
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From what I hear from some industry insiders, this was the least worst option for Barnes and Nobles, and the one that has the best chance of getting the company profitable again.
There might be some store closures and sell offs of land, but there is also going to be a focus on empowering the stores to tailor to their local market and make them more community focused (at least, that's what they did with the UK store)... I think most of the manga/light novel companies are less exposed to the kind of returns that happened in the original manga bubble collapse, so although there might be a slowdown if B&N starts massively shrinking it wouldn't result in any companies going bankrupt this time. |
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Kadmos1
 Posts: 13567 Location: In Phoenix but has an 85308 ZIP |
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Not liking the fact that B&N, Borders, and B. Dalton drove out many of the indie bookstore companies many years ago. I feel the same should the last major brick and mortar American bookstore, for all practical terms, die out. 146 years of bookstore history could be tarnished if they fold. There are pluses/minuses of favoring digital versions vs. the physical version of a book. I think one reason why B&N has been able to last so long is because they utilize both the e-book and physical copy purchases. Also, buying a physical book on-line means that some of the money can go to B&N and/or the 3rd party they are working with to deliver the book.
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El Hermano
 Posts: 450 Location: Texas |
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Cars don't suddenly vanish if a company goes out of business, or your license expires, or they just don't like you and ban you from ever buying their brand again and take away your car in the process. Although just because Barnes and Noble might shut down in a few years doesn't mean physical media dies. You can buy physical books from online stores. That's honestly how I buy everything these days anyway. Haven't been to a book store in over a decade. Same with a video game store, video store, or really any kind of store that didn't involve food or furniture. |
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ZeetherKID77
 Posts: 981 |
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I'm pretty sure I remember hearing that publishers were being more cautious with the Borders incident happening and Tokyopop closing up shop. I don't want to see Denpa, Vertical etc dying off from this. |
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