Did you know for example that currently we have 10.800 bookstores in total in the U.S., a 12.2 percent drop in comparison to 1997? And what about Amazon - what's their share in the market? Well, apparently it's around 22.6% of the books in the U.S.(2011 figures).
An interesting fact that I've learned about in this article was that the average book buyer is 45 to 64, white, has a high income, is married, lives in the west, and is a college graduate. I guess it shouldn't be a surprise then to see the increase in Amazon's market share and the decrease in the total number of stores - the younger generations are just looking for other places to buy their books and e-books.
Yet, the list ends with an optimistic forecast - independent bookstores may be making a comeback. It might be too soon to know if it's true, but it's certainly an optimistic way to close this great list of facts and we definitely hope it will come true!
You can find more resources on the future of bookstores on our website at www.ecolibris.net/bookstores_future.asp
Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris
Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!
