Is E-Reading Really Greener?

This question is at the center of an article I wrote, which was just published this month on the Independent Book Publishers Association's (IBPA) monthly journal, the Independent.

Here's the first paragraph from the article:

The emergence of e-book readers, starting with the release of Amazon’s Kindle in November 2007 and through the launch of Apple’s iPad in April 2010, is changing the book industry. No doubt about that. But is it also making reading more sustainable? Is it really greener to abandon the good old print-on-paper book for a cool gadget that holds hundreds of books without causing back strain?

So, is E-Reading Really Greener? You're welcome to read the rest of the article here and find out!

A press release of the IBPA on the article can be found here - http://www.booktrade.info/index.php/showarticle/28546

If you look for more resources on e-books vs. physical books, check our ebooks page at http://www.ecolibris.net/ebooks.asp

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

What's the problem of Barnes & Noble? Can new owners solve it?

The New York Times reported this morning that Barnes & Noble announced that its board was putting the company up for sale. In other words: B&N, the world's largest bookseller, is struggling.

This announcement follows a dive of the company's stock since April, when it was priced around $24 (yesterday the trade was closed at $12.84), as well as its last report on June that showed a fall of 4.8% in store sales in fiscal year 2010 compared to the previous year.

Barnes and Noble is still very financially stable, although it's worthwhile to mention the decline in its cash as can be seen on its balance sheet from $361 million in 2008 to $61 million in 2010. Nevertheless, B&N is struggling to find its competitive edge in a business that like the NYT explained "has increasingly shifted to online retailers and e-book sales, leaving both chains and independent sellers struggling."

The main problem of B&N is its 720 brick and mortar stores. In a market where physical books were almost 100% of the market and online sales were relatively marginal, they were a huge advantage. Now, when the market is changing and some experts, like Mike Shatzkin, estimate that brick-and-mortar decline from 72% of the market today to 25% in 5 years, these stores become a liability.

B&N still didn't present any clear strategy to deal with this change. It's true it has taken some steps like dedicating more in-store real estate to its Nook by creating Nook Boutiques, but that's not enough. And it's far from being a clear strategy.

B&N is in a unique position, competing with companies that has no brick and mortar store like Amazon or Apple (Apple stores don't really count) or big-box stores like Costco, Wal-Mart and Target that aren't based on book selling. This situation is both a major risk and opportunity, but it demands leadership and vision. No matter who the new (or old, if it will be Chairman Leonard Riggio or the billionaire investor Ronald W. Burkle that already own a stake in the company) owners will be - if they won't deal with this question, B&N will continue to struggle and its battles will become harder and harder to fight.

Last but not least, here's what we think should become of of B&N brick and mortar bookstores to help them become again an asset for the company - http://ecolibris.blogspot.com/2010/05/is-there-future-for-barnes-noble-and.html

More articles on the future of bookstores can be found at http://www.ecolibris.net/bookstores_future.asp

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

Doom and gloom for independent bookstores? Not in New York!

Last Thursday we were all doom and gloom about Independent stores and called them to prepare a war plan. Well, it looks like there's at least one place where the sun shines over independent bookstores. It's called New York.

Yes, in the Big Apple, one of the meccas of independent bookstores, things seem to work much better for indie bookstores according to New York Magazine. In a special feature about New York City indie bookstores, entitled "Indie Bookstores Rising" New York Magazine is presenting what they call "an indie-bookstore renaissance," with new bookstores like Fort Greene’s Greenlight Bookstore (see photo above), Williamsburg’s Book Thug Nation, Dyker Heights’s Boulevard Books, and Mast on the Lower East Side, among others

What makes NY different from all other places? New York Magazine explains:

"Contributing to the resurgence is the local-is-better ethos, which has bled over from the culinary and fashion worlds, causing readers to crave a more human-scale shopping experience. And the specter of a world without indie bookshops has inspired a new, perhaps quixotic generation of entrepreneurs to jump in. The new booksellers bring a modern approach to the business: In place of the dusty riots of yore are more curated, well-lit shops that emphasize personal service and community—book clubs, readings, charity projects, and even the occasional lit-geek basketball league."

So what we see here is a blend of readers with local preference and stores that provides unique added value to their customers. Combine these elements with strong communities and a large market of readers and you've got a success story called New York.

Can it work in other cities as well? I wish I could say Yes for sure, but it seems to me that the Big Apple is a unique place and in other places indie bookstores will have to work very hard to create such an indie-bookstore renaissance.

Here are some of the interesting pieces you can find on this interesting feature:

Book-o-nomics: Maybe the most interesting part, as it reveals how much money a bookshop makes. In this case it's Greenlight Bookstore that shows how it turns an average monthly profit of $11,706.27. Kudos to Greenlight Bookstore for their radical transparency!

Cover to Cover - The new (and renewed) guard of independent bookstores in the city.

Where the Pros Go - New York authors’ favorite indies. Colum McCann, for example, can't pick just one: “If I had to choose from Housing Works, the Corner Bookstore, Crawford Doyle, Three Lives, 192 Books, or the Strand, I’d pick them all. I’d smash them together and give all the books a chance to flirt in a new neighborhood.”

Bound for Your Bedstand - Booksellers recommend their most eagerly anticipated titles. For example, David Franklin of Strand Book Store (our partner!) Pick is: Salman Rushdie, Luka and the Fire of Life (Nov. 16). “All of Rushdie’s work has an aspect of fantasy—this one goes a little further.”

Got Any Buddhist Police Procedurals? - In a city of enthusiasts, there’s a bookshop for every taste.

Seller’s Market - What used bookstores (and eBay customers) will fork over for three previously loved titles.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting   sustainable reading!

Eco-Libris is on the first issue of AZGreen Magazine

AZGreen Magazine, Arizona’s premier lifestyle publication devoted to sustainability was published for the first time last month. Not only that this is a very interesting sustainable lifestyle magazine, but it also mentions Eco-Libris!

Yes, if you look at page 71 and you'll see the famous Eco-Libris guy reading a book in the forest! And don't forget to check out the rest of this beautiful magazine that is available online - you'll find there plenty of interesting articles on many green issues - many on lifestyle, from green luxury to green realtors, but there are also articles on ecology, composting, nature, etc. Here is some more information on the new magazine from its website:

At the heart of AZGreen Magazine’s mission: Inspiration, Awareness and Stewardship. Firmly grounded in the belief that a sustainable lifestyle is achievable by anyone and should be accessible to everyone, AZGreen Magazine endeavors to build awareness and inspire lifestyle choices that are more than just “going green” — that become a state of mind, a way of existing, that promise to improve life on many levels for ourselves and our communities. We have a unique opportunity to be a conduit for understanding and hold fast to the belief that building awareness is the key to affecting positive change on every level.

As the green movement gains steam, the need for reliable information is growing. AZGreen Magazine is dedicated to providing insightful, reliable information that enables readers to make informed choices about sustainability on every level. We go beyond the “how to” and “should do” angles, and explore sustainability on a deeper level, then share our insight to communicate the “why” behind choices that affect our families, our communities and our world.

The first issue of AZGreen Magazine is available at http://www.azgreenmagazine-digital.com/azgreenmagazine

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting   sustainable reading!

Five places where it is better to use a Kindle than a book (pool not included)

Amazon cut last Thursday the cost of the Kindle to $139. On the New York Times article about the $139 “Kindle Wi-Fi", Jeff Bezos was quoted saying:

“At $139, if you’re going to read by the pool, some people might spend more than that on a swimsuit and sunglasses."

I went today to the pool and didn't see there with a Kindle, but on the other hand saw many people reading physical books. It makes sense - if your book gets wet, it's unpleasant but it will get dry eventually. I'm not sure you can say that about the Kindle if it gets wet..

So, it got me thinking - which are the places it's better to have a Kindle (or iPad or Nook) with you and not just good old physical books? I came up with 5 places:

1. Vacation - books are heavy, what can we say. So with all airlines that will happily charge you for overweight baggage, taking the Kindle is no brainer. More room for some clothes and of course for gifts! And we shouldn't forget that a lighter flight has a smaller carbon footprint :)

2. Picnic - Somehow I got a feeling that when a chorizo falls on your Kindle, with all the ketchup and mustard in the world, it will be easier to clean it than a book and it also won't smell like a chorizo for the next couple of weeks. Also, people don't really know what you're reading, so there's a better chance you won't be disturbed with questions like: "Ah, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, that's an interesting name - what is it about?"

3. Party - Who brings a book to a party anyway? But if you got yourself to a boring party and you can't run away, the Kindle can be your saver, helping you to pass the time in a meaningful way without showing too much your lack of interest in the party. If caught, you can always say you were just checking your email.

4. Subway/Bus - At least if you're one of those who don't like others to know what they're reading. Another condition is that you're not one of those who fall asleep on the subway/bus and drop whatever they hold on the floor..

5. Restroom - Some people might disagree, but isn't it time to throw all the books and magazines stacked in your little restroom and just have some quiet reading time with your Kindle? Just make sure to keep the experience as hygienic as possible!

If you have any other places to add to the list please feel free to add your comment!

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting   sustainable reading!

Green Business Blog Carnival #8

Welcome to week #8 of the Green Business Blog Carnival, a weekly green assembly that highlights the news, opinion, and insight on green business published during the past week.

We're very happy to host the carnival this week and thank all our green biz colleagues who arrived to celebrate with us another week of green biz progress. So let's check who's here.

The first guest is Dinesh Thirupuvanam of Viv Business Club who followed up an interesting on a LinkedIn group called the Compost Network about plastic food packaging. He's exploring the question whether plastic food packaging is getting in the way of the recycling and composting efforts of many of our small businesses, and adding three recommendations to prevent this from happening and to help businesses move toward zero waste.

Speaking of materials, Kalen Smith of Engineer-a-Business wrote about the potential of potato starch based polymers. One of the problems associated with the depletion of the world's oil supply is that the polymers we use in our world come from this ever disappearing substance. Fortunately, we can already use the starches from potatoes to create new polymers for someconsumer applications. But is it possible to use these polymers for more later on as well?

Kalen is not the only guest occupied with green innovation. Jeff McIntire-Strasburg at Sustainablog who is talking with Eco-entrepreneur and runner Carolina Baker, who couldn't find an eco-friendly sports bra that she liked... so she created her own.

Green marketing was also on the agenda of the green community this week. Lorna Li of GreenMarketing.TV wrote on the importance of adopting green marketing practices, with five actionable ways you can green your marketing campaigns today. Lorna's first advice is to have your product or service eco certified.

Taylen Peterson at CalFinder agrees with her. Going Green with Your Business? Certify! he says in an article that explored green certifications and eco-labels, explaining that the competitive edge of the future will go to certified green businesses.

We celebrated the beginning of season 4 of Mad Men on Eco-Libris blog, wondering if anything changed since Don Draper tried to sell us Lucky Strike, explaining that advertising is about selling happiness and assuring us that whatever we're doing is OK. We conclude that not much, at least not when it comes to ads of e-readers.

And no carnival is complete without some radical thinking - RP Siegel presented at Triple Pundit a great video presenting Seventh Generation’s Jeffrey Hollender idea about radical transparency. In this video, he tells the story of how several years ago, he posted a list on the company’s website of all the things wrong with their products and how they fell short of what the company was, and still is, trying to achieve in terms of their focus, which is to “restore the environment, inspire conscious consumption and create a just and equitable world.”

We hope you enjoyed this week's carnival and we invite you to visit the green business blog carnival
next week at Matter Network. 

Also, if you want to host the carnival on your blog check out the opportunities at Sustainablog and to submit posts visit Triple Pundit for the submission form.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting   sustainable reading!

Independent bookstores need a war plan and they need it now!

The news in the last 48 hours on the closing of two independent bookstores, Tree House Books (Holland, MI) and Rodney's Bookstore (Cambridge, MA) got me to realize it's time for independent bookstores to prepare a war plan.

There's nothing new in the fact that independent booksellers are struggling, and not only in the US. The Guardian reported in February that in the U.K. independent bookshops closed at a rate of almost two every week over in 2009. In Vancouver, Canada, After 53 years in the business, independent bookstore Duthie Books closed its doors last January and in April another bookstore in the city, Sophia Books, was closed.

So why War Plan? Because it doesn't seem like this trend is going to reverse itself any time soon. And if independent bookstores want to stop this trend, they have to act fast and they need a war plan, because this is a war and their survival is at stake.

Couple of elements that are crucial for the success of this plan:

1. Awareness - Independent bookstores have many loyal customers, but probably not enough. At the same time, I'm sure there are plenty of readers out there that will be happy to consider supporting them because they like these bookstores, what they represent and their contribution to the local economy and community.

2. Personal Benefit - To move people from condition of awareness to action you need to provide them with some sort of added value or personal benefit. This is a must. You can't just rely on the fact that people like bookstores - they won't show up in big numbers if it won't be worthwhile.

3. No trade-offs - Most people don't like to pay a price even it's for something they believe in. For example, a survey conducted by researchers at Stanford University found that 76 percent favored government limiting business’s emissions of greenhouse gases. At the same time, large majorities opposed taxes on electricity (78 percent) and gasoline (72 percent) to reduce consumption. So my conclusion is that if you want to drive people to do the right thing, you need to create a win-win strategy with no trade-offs. Staying only with the small minority who don't mind these trade-offs is not an option anymore. How do you integrate these elements into an effective yet realistic war plan? Well, that's the real challenge here.

Couple of weeks ago I suggested here a model that will provide customers with both personal benefits and the feeling that they're contributing to the prosperity of their own community. This model is based on creating a collaboration with other local businesses to enable these businesses to provide customers with discounts for each other. I think that if you add to it a creative awareness campaign, this model can definitely be considered to be part of the war plan.

In any case there's a need to act fast. "Publishing is changing fast, bookselling is changing fast" said Skip Prichard, Ingram CEO last week at BookExpo America in a 'A CEO Panel: The Value of a Book'. He is certainly right and I believe there's a real urgency here - the sooner independent bookstores will prepare their war plan, the better their chances are to win this war.

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!