Bookstores Forced to Turn a Page

To remain viable, bookstores are finding ways to innovate and change.

From an article in the Boston Globe...

Booksellers say surviving is more than a matter of selling books. Bookshops, owners and managers say, must look for new sources of revenue and consider radical changes such as becoming a nonprofit.

Or in the case of Brookline Booksmith, trying a little bit of everything. The 49-year-old store now sells Google e-books online, holds on average five events a week with authors, and may invest in an in-store printing press.

The events, including celebrity book signings, draw new customers and publicity, said Dana Brigham, one of the owners of the Booksmith. The printing press would allow the store to publish books for first-time authors as well as produce more copies of out-of-print books.

“We can’t sleep through the changes going on all around us,’’ Brigham said. “For most of its history, [Booksmith] has been in a constant state of responding to changes and challenges in our market.’’