Is Amazon killing off bookshops?

Many people will use them, though, when they force their suppliers into reducing their prices on what was black friday and is now going to go on for days.
and High Street stores and other retailers will have to follow suit or lose business.

To posters who have pointed out Amazon's unethical behaviour towards the people who work for it - thank you.

I did see a programme a couple of years ago which laid bare Amazon's methods. I naively thought that such bad publicity had made Amazon change its practices. I am now ashamed that we have used this company.

Having read this thread and after watching another programme tonight which showed the appalling way in which delivery drivers are treated, I at least will not be using the company again - and will also try and persuade my husband not to.

The human cost of Amazon- now on BBC 1- shocking!

If you investigate, you will find that whilst Amazon is being cited, the same thing applies to all online companies that use private delivery companies, there was an issue with Yodel a while ago.
There is no doubt that this is wrong, drivers should get a reasonable wage and be able to stay within the law, but poor pay and conditions is endemic throughout the parcel delivery companies.
This is why you see so many complaints about Yodel, Hermes etc, as their drivers cannot afford to deliver twice.

There's a programme by Inside Out about Amazon delivery drivers now, BBC1.

NotTooOld Have you seen the CreateSpace section? My friend found it not very user friendly in early days, but says it's much improved now. I work with her on covers only so I can't help with the 'innards'. Get your work out there. Everyone deserves an audience! She says FB and word-of-mouth keep it interesting enough to carry on.

www.createspace.com/

There is also a Youtube video. Am not a big YT fan, I like to read things, but have a look anyways.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rB8700WLZg

In Edinburgh there is a Christian Aid book sale every spring. an enormous church in George Street (St Andrews and St Georges West) is packed full of donated books, as is the courtyard outside. There are specialist sections for various non-fiction subjects, a sectiin of antiquarian books at suitable prices, and table after table of fiction.

In 2015 they made £105,000, plus another £15,000 from the art sale and cafe in the crypt.

There may be similar sales in other areas during Christian aid week.

Are you sure you wnt to use Amazon?

www.theguardian.com/business/2016/nov/11/amazon-logistics-drivers-speeding-minimum-wage

Kindle and Amazon is very much a UK concept (following the USA)- in Europe in general, bookshops are still doing really well- and people hardly know about Kindle.

I recently took a bag of books to the charity shop. To my surprise they said they didn't want them. Apparently they are not selling well. To my mind it would be a good idea to have a book sale. If they put a big sign on the window, saying books were 10p each they'd shift a lot. Or even have a one day offer of all books free. Then they could restock their shelves with donated books.

My husband and I are both book fiends. We live in a library with 9 x 6-7ft tall bookcases all double stacked. I love the pleasure of sitting with a real book in my hands. I do have a Kobo e-reader and it's great for holidays when you can't stuff a box of books in your suitcase but otherwise I don't use it. I hate Amazon but as someone else pointed out, they are MUCH cheaper than local shops and when you're retired you have to take that into account. Yes there are other online booksellers but most seem now to belong to Amazon.
It's another chicken-and-egg situation. We had a Foyles open a couple of weeks ago so we duly went to explore. It didn't take long. It's a single small shop unit although on two floors, the craft section (my main interest) is one bookcase of 5 shelves about 3ft wide. The top 3 shelves are construction and architecture and the bottom 2 shelves (actually only one and a half) are all the remaining crafts. I won't be going back.

gillyknits - sorry to hear your daughter may lose her job in the library. I absolutely love libraries but they are not like they used to be, hushed places with comfy chairs in corners so you could sample the books before deciding to borrow one. The last one I belonged to had children's toys set out for the little dears to noisily play on, computers clicking away in a corner - even the library staff shouted at one another. Yes, I know they have had to move with the times, become a 'resource centre' in order to survive but it is such a shame. Oh Gawd, I am getting so old. I'm afraid I use Amazon now but it is a bit like one's Brexit vote - best to keep quiet about it.

The biggest problem is that not only are Amazon so cheap (especially Kindle), but more often than not I find second-hand copies of books that I've been looking for for many years! Still use the librsry, charity shops etc, but for books I want to keep, no alternative, especially since with Prime I can often get things next day!

I love Amazon. The only bookshop in my locality is a Waterstones. As they felt it was OK to make life so difficult for a very close friend who had been a loyal employee for 10 years that she practically had a breakdown, I would never give them my custom. A disgusting Company (and overseen by a Russian oligarch with little interest in the selling of books). I am bitter - yes. They now employ young people on complicated and often zero hours contracts. They don't want trained people who have expertise in specific fields. Might as well go to Amazon! There are plenty of eclectic online bookshops for the rarer items. If there was such a shop in my locality then I would love to browse but the reality is that there isn't and has not been for many years prior to Amazon.

Since I was a child I have loved books. I like the feel, the smell, the covers (art) and I used to get the 'red, blue, green fairy books' from the library. Anyone else read those? I used to feel as though I had a box of chocolates in my hand. I used to use the library all the time and encouraged my children to do the same.

Any books from charity shops go back to other charity shops for re-sale. Libraries have had a hard time just lately but I think they give an amazing service and not just books, family tree information, which OH is in to, and all kinds of other services such as newspapers for example.

If we do not support them they will all disappear.

LewLew the Chepstow bookshop is quite close to you. It's closer to you than Corbridge is to me. Do you have to pay to go over the bridge, still? It used to be owned by friends of my brother- and sister-in-law, so I know it.
You can order and have the books delivered to your home. Then you just choose one of the local bookshops on the list to give your percentage to.
Of course, you could just tell your local bookshops about the scheme.

Another thing I don't like about Amazon is that most of the books they offer are set around America. What about the rest of us? I had a devil of a job to find books about real life stories of British heroes and also of inspirational British women.

I like to read about these people, and I like to send them as presents to people. They would not be really interested in American heroes.

Then of course there is the cost of postage which is disgraceful.

Those of you who use libraries as a source of books may be disappointed in fuure, due to library closures or handing them over to volunteers. In the county where I live, there will only be four manned by paid staff.
Libraries are so much part of our communities, not just books these days but help with computers and job searches. My daughter works in a small community library and so far this month has helped write a c.v. make a will as well as fulfill reservations and general.library duties. She will no longer have a job in April next year and I'm not sure that the volunteers will be able to offer a similar service. Very sad.

I usually buy second hand books from charity shops, I know then that someone benefits apart from me. I use Amazon sometimes but mostly for FREE kindle books. However I have noticed a trend lately. They are pushing people in to subscribing to Prime. Be careful what you order! I don't think they will close down book shops because there is something about holding a book in your hand rather than a tablet imo.

Tegan, it was amazing - even had bookshop cats .

LewLew, I'm a director of a new company that is producing online courses, one of which is a Getting Published course and covers how to improve sales of self-published Amazon books by getting onto their lists and not getting swamped by all the millions of other books too. We also have a larger online course that covers the craft of novel/creating writing (and which includes the modules on publishing). More than happy to let gransnetters (and friends) have either course at heavily discounted prices - don't want to put the links and codes on here in case it's against rules but please feel free to pm me for them (£14 instead of £75 and £19 instead of £249). If any of you want to blast me for publicising, please don't; I really am trying to help

I would love to put my writing on Amazon print on demand or Kindle but it all seems so difficult. Like Lewlew's friend I would just like it 'out there' and it also works as an incentive to get on and write. Can anyone tell me how to do it (in simple language, please!)
Jalima - you sound like you may know how it's done?

I have shared my Kindle content with my daughter, you need to link both Amazon accounts. We now both have access to each other's books as I often wanted to borrow some books from her. My Kindle is invaluable as we holiday many times throughout the year and I used to take so many books with me that my luggage allowance suffered! I still read "real" books occasionally at home, from charity shops.

LewLew I have pmd you

Oh, I would have loved your shop Seb!

Nana3 - in my case, selling books on Amazon was the only way I could keep my shop open as long as I did.