Comments on: The anti-independent argument http://rickyopaterny.com/blog/2006/05/15/the-anti-independent-argument/ Ricky Opaterny on Books, Music, Art, and Sports Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:25:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: evicious http://rickyopaterny.com/blog/2006/05/15/the-anti-independent-argument/comment-page-1/#comment-3397 evicious Tue, 16 May 2006 15:44:20 +0000 http://www.gen-o.com/blog/?p=119#comment-3397 Yes, our attention span may be shorter, but longer books are definitely still being read. And I can't stand the way that blogs are being used as an example for everything from self-expression to the demise of literature. I don't remember the last time I read a blog post that made me cry and hope one day I can write something remotely like it. Aside from defending longer forms of prose, I think Cowen is missing the point when he says you are unlikely to find Arabic poetry at an independent bookstore. The key thing (at least for me) when visiting an independent bookstore is the experience itself. I want to visit a bookstore owned by individuals who have made a decision about what the store should be like. I want to buy books from people who love books, and I want people who love books to have their own space. So who cares if I have a better chance of finding Arabic poetry at Barnes and Noble’s? Independent bookstores need to figure out how to create a market that craves this experience and is willing to buy books in order to support and sustain this experience. Yes, our attention span may be shorter, but longer books are definitely still being read. And I can’t stand the way that blogs are being used as an example for everything from self-expression to the demise of literature. I don’t remember the last time I read a blog post that made me cry and hope one day I can write something remotely like it.

Aside from defending longer forms of prose, I think Cowen is missing the point when he says you are unlikely to find Arabic poetry at an independent bookstore. The key thing (at least for me) when visiting an independent bookstore is the experience itself.

I want to visit a bookstore owned by individuals who have made a decision about what the store should be like. I want to buy books from people who love books, and I want people who love books to have their own space.

So who cares if I have a better chance of finding Arabic poetry at Barnes and Noble’s?

Independent bookstores need to figure out how to create a market that craves this experience and is willing to buy books in order to support and sustain this experience.

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