brighton town centre turning into a ruddy GHOST TOWN

[Cheeky Monkey]

Also, I cannot see anyone teaching their child to read from a digital book reader. 25% of all my sales are kids books, believe it or not, and it is great to see kids coming into the shops and sitting on the floor looking at books. But we will have to see what happens - adapt or die!

I doubt digital books will ever replace paper books, they will eat into the market but will never wipe out traditional books. We spend so much of our lives looking at screens, we don't need to be reading books on them as well. For me the pleasure is physically having the book in your hand, seeing how much you have read and how much is left to read etc.

In terms of shops closing - how Wax Factor and other second hand record shops keep going amazes me - with Ipods/downloading music and the fact that they don't pay more than 50p-£1 for used CDs (which means people like me can't be arsed to stagger down there with stacks of unwanted CDs when I'm only going to come out with a few quid - better off giving them to charity shops).

 

[Bevendean Hillbilly]

They are both acceptable. Now that is irony.

Back of the net.

 

[The Large One]

It's SPELT, not spelled

Both are correct.

 

[User removed 4]

They are both acceptable. Now that is irony.

If you're 7 years old, it's like using oblong instead of rectangle.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

That's good to hear!

I was reading this yesterday and it doesn't bode well for my fledgling writing career.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2010/jan/03/books-club-richard-judy-millionaires

"A novelist, even a well-reviewed one, may sell just a couple of thousand books."

Good for you - I'm 50,000-odd words into my latest 'epic' (cough). Five years of writing and two manuscript rejections so far, but we persevere!

A friend of my other half writes The Dragon Detective Agency series of kids books and reckons he's made under 5k out of them. Imho the only way you're going to make a decent whack is if your book gets picked up for a TV/film adaptation and I think people today increasingly write with that in mind (I know I do to a degree).

 

[Bevendean Hillbilly]

If you're 7 years old, it's like using oblong instead of rectangle.

Both are acceptable.

 

[User removed 4]

Both are acceptable.

now thats irony.

 

[Gwylan]

It's SPELT, not spelled

It's not, both are acceptable although "spelled" is more usual - "spelt" is more commonly used for the grain.

Re: the main question, I think there's room for bookshops, they offer expertise and recommendations. They often host author-readings, which can be phenomenally successful. The City Books shop in Hove seems to be surviving by providing a mix of good books and interesting social events.

As someone pointed out though, shops that close early are not going to cut the mustard, they need to react to customer needs.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Good for you - I'm 50,000-odd words into my latest 'epic' (cough). Five years of writing and two manuscript rejections so far, but we persevere!

A friend of my other half writes The Dragon Detective Agency series of kids books and reckons he's made under 5k out of them. Imho the only way you're going to make a decent whack is if your book gets picked up for a TV/film adaptation and I think people today increasingly write with that in mind (I know I do to a degree).

Wow. Good luck with all of that. I haven't got anywhere near as far as you.

I came across a little stall in Greenwich Market the other day. Home Page - mogzilla.co.uk

I see your point with your last sentence and I think that is where I am going wrong. Either write specifically for TV/Film or write a literary work of art... Hmm....

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

Re: the main question, I think there's room for bookshops, they offer expertise and recommendations. They often host author-readings, which can be phenomenally successful. The City Books shop in Hove seems to be surviving by providing a mix of good books and interesting social events.

As someone pointed out though, shops that close early are not going to cut the mustard, they need to react to customer needs.

The Borders (US) concept was having a coffee shop in the store, having readings/events, staff recommendations, comfy chairs so you could sit and read before you bought etc......

 

[User removed 4]

It's not, both are acceptable although "spelled" is more usual

I disagree, i would say spelt is more usual.

 

[Simster]

Spelled is the only spelling in North America, but here I'd say spelt was more commonplace although both are acceptable and normal.

The same rule applies for spelling words with a Z in the middle as opposed to S; words like "organizing".

 

[Gwylan]

I disagree, i would say spelt is more usual.

Not according to the Oxford English Dictionary it's not - spelled is the one they give first, with spelt as the alternative.

 

[User removed 4]

Spelled is the only spelling in North America, but here I'd say spelt was more commonplace although both are acceptable and normal.

The same rule applies for spelling words with a Z in the middle as opposed to S; words like "organizing".

as an aside, ive just ruined my boss for when using the phase xyz, he pronounces the z as zee, hes english as well, tosser

 

[KZNSeagull]

The Borders (US) concept was having a coffee shop in the store, having readings/events, staff recommendations, comfy chairs so you could sit and read before you bought etc......

Which is how it should be. Only the big boys can afford to have coffee shops in them though as a lot of people take the piss - some will read a book day after day, damage it and make it unsaleable, which the smaller shops cannot afford. My mother has a Stationery shop in HH years ago and it used to happen to her - she ended up having to hide books during lunch hours as the usual suspects arrived to read the next chapter!!

But it will be interested to see what will happen. I also cannot believe that digital books will take over, at least not in the short term. As a cynic, I would say that it is a gimmick by Amazon as part of their world domination ambitions!! But I'm sure some people will use them - usually those who do not even know where the local bookshop is!!

 

[User removed 4]

Not according to the Oxford English Dictionary it's not - spelled is the one they give first, with spelt as the alternative.

I said spelt was more usual, not what the oxford english dictionary lists as correct, and i dont really pay you much attention on here , you've admitted before that you would argue that black is white if it was me in an argument.

 

[Gwylan]

But it will be interested to see what will happen. I also cannot believe that digital books will take over, at least not in the short term. As a cynic, I would say that it is a gimmick by Amazon as part of their world domination ambitions!! But I'm sure some people will use them - usually those who do not even know where the local bookshop is!!

Digital books won't take over unless they become a lot, lot cheaper. I see little point in buying a gadget for a couple of hundred quid and then pay the same price for the downloadable book as you'd pay for a paper one.

Mind you, I might not be the best person to comment on this. I love books, I love the feel of them and the smell of them. I can't see any circumstances in which I'd buy a digital book in place of a paper one.

 

[Bevendean Hillbilly]

now thats irony.

i was going to qualify it because of cocks like you.

 

[KZNSeagull]

Digital books won't take over unless they become a lot, lot cheaper. I see little point in buying a gadget for a couple of hundred quid and then pay the same price for the downloadable book as you'd pay for a paper one.

Mind you, I might not be the best person to comment on this. I love books, I love the feel of them and the smell of them. I can't see any circumstances in which I'd buy a digital book in place of a paper one.

Indeed.

A lot of people do love books which is great. Whether we will still say this in 50 years time is another matter, but then I probably wont be here then!

 

[User removed 4]

i was going to qualify it because of cocks like you.

I thought you wanted to watch a spat between myself and TLO, and now you give me a sucker punch when im looking the other way, sneaky little tosser arent you ?