Some bookshop owners in Abuja said they are innovating to overcome the challenges posed to their business by the advent of e-books and digital libraries.
They said this during interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday.
They told NAN that e-books had “re-written the rules on how we discover, borrow, and read books and offer instant access to millions of titles.”
According to them, it appears the allure of instant access to millions of titles on a single device far outweighs the appeal of a physical bookstore visit.
Ms. Aisha Bagu, a virtual bookstore owner, said the convenience of browsing an online catalogue, downloading new books within seconds, or carrying an entire library on a device was irresistible for readers.
She told NAN that the shift in consumer behaviour meant more people relied on their tablets and smartphones for reading.
This, according to her, had left traditional booksellers grappling with dwindling in-store reader traffic and shrinking print-book sales.
Bagu said previously successful bookstores doubled as community hubs, hosting authors’ reading clubs and offering customer book recommendation services.
“Honestly, it has been a mixed bag. On one hand, I have seen fewer people walk in just to browse. Many now read on their phones or tablets.
“They say, ‘Why buy a book when I can download it for free?’ But on the other hand, the situation has pushed me to innovate.
“We now host poetry nights, literacy and literary clubs, even writing workshops. People now come for the experience and not just the books.
“We launched a WhatsApp platform where people can browse our inventory and even download sample chapters.
“I even thought about partnering with local schools to curate digital reading lists,” she told NAN.
Mr. Chinedu Paul, who runs an e-book marketplace, disagreed that print is dying, saying that rather it was adapting because bookstores had adapted to coexist with digital innovations.
“The future is hybrid. Readers want flexibility. Give them both, and they will stay loyal.
“I have a counterpoint: for me, print isn’t dead, bookstores are not either; rather, they are evolving,” he said.
“Although some readers still cherish the sensory delight of turning pages, and the pride of displaying physical books on their shelves.”
Chinedu said virtual libraries were not rivals to bookstores and physical libraries but gateways to knowledge that broaden, rather than limit, access.
He said virtual libraries aimed to expand access rather than compete with physical ones and bookstores.
According to him, digital expansion will not dismantle traditional bookshops.
“Whether you are in a Lagos classroom logging into an e-library at dawn or in a Kaduna bookshop flipping through the spine of a new hardcover release, readers should adopt whatever platforms suit them.
“For me, digital and physical book selling are two sides of the same coin,” he said.
He said he envisioned a hybrid ecosystem where online platforms directed curious minds to local shops for special editions, signed copies, or for the simple pleasure of turning real pages.
Chinedu said while virtual libraries and e-books challenge the status quo, they also inspire fresh collaborations, hybrid experiences, and innovative revenue streams.
He said that in the next chapter of innovations, the most resilient bookstores would be those that wove digital convenience into the fabric of their communal warmth. (NAN)
