This refers to the BS Weekend cover-story “What’s in store?” (July 23). The future of the brick-and- mortar bookstore in India is dependent largely on the purpose they serve, and increasingly that purpose is being upended by online stores. I agree with the author that the age of the gentlemanly bookseller is probably dead, or on life support. Though e-books will take some time finding widespread readership (even that is debatable- a lot of people just do not prefer reading off the screen), the future of bookstores is definitely not sanguine. Recently in the US, Borders decided to close all its outlets. There is a reason bookstores do not appeal to today’s generation. It is far more convenient to have books delivered to your house than finding the time to go and buy them. If anything, this should be welcomed by publishers since it makes book buying more pervasive — the convenience attracts new buyers. Also, because of the scale of operations, discounts of the order of 20 per cent are common on websites like Flipkart. Besides, the breath of the collection is another attractive feature. Niche segments such as LGBT writing are easily found online, while one may not have that kind of choice in a bookstore.
Vikram Johari, Lucknow
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