Last word on the Net -virtual bookshops are last word
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.After the collapse two years ago of the price-fixing Net Book Agreement, British booksellers are preparing for a price war in cyberspace against American competitors who do not have a single store in the country, nor any plans to open any.
Dillons and Waterstone's are operating Internet web sites each offering more than 1 million titles, some at a discount, to fend off rivals in the United States. The result is likely to push book prices down, because fewer skilled staff are needed to run an Internet bookshop and overheads are lower: expensive stores are not required. Computers and a phone line, connected to a mail-order system, take their place, and can be located in cheap areas.
If the cyberstores were physical locations, they would be the largest in each chain, based on the number of books stocked. Dillons expects that when its site, The Book Pl@ce, opens on 12 September, it will get 100,000 visitors a month, compared to the 50,000 a month that a large store might see. It intends to offer 1.2 million titles at the site, available by mail order with a credit card.
Waterstone's already has a site which sells 1.4 million books, some at a discount, and sees 60,000 visitors a month. It has been running since October. "That's a lot more than any shop," said a spokesman. "And even our biggest shop, in Manchester, only stocks 125,000 titles."
Virtual bookshops emerged in the past couple of years with the advent in the US of Internet sites such as amazon.com, which has no physical counterpart, though its computers are based in Seattle.
It was floated on the New York Stock Exchange this year in a deal valuing it at $300m (pounds 187m), though it has only been operating since 1994 and has does not expect to make profit for two years. Other US publishers, such as Barnes and Noble, are also on the web.
The virtual bookshop, at www.amazon.com, offers immediate ordering, and secure credit-card payment. Dillons and Waterstone's reacted by putting their own brand names and title range on the web.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments