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Why bookstores aren't going away
Bookstores
Bookstores aren't going away - photo by Metro Creative Graphics
Herb Scribner
Deseret News National
Updated: Jun 29, 2014, 11:00 AM
Published: Jun 25, 2014, 8:23 PM

It’s a cruel world out there for book publishers.

As the battle between Amazon and Hachette heats up, causing an impact on culture, as writer Kandra Polatis reported in May — the world for book publishers has recent revealed itself to be a tough place. And the future doesn’t look much brighter.

For starters, Walmart and Barnes & Noble are two businesses that are slashing their prices to try and capitalize on the mess surrounding Amazon and Hachette, in which Amazon is blocking orders of Hachette books due to a pricing dispute from years ago, Mashable reported. This is a method to bring in customers who normally use Amazon for their Hachette books, wrote Jason Abbruzzese for Mashable.

“Walmart and Barnes & Noble have slashed prices on Hachette books, seeking to attract new customers who were accustomed to getting editions from Amazon and now can't,” Abbruzzese said. “Amazon recently blocked preorders of upcoming Hachette titles and reduced its stock of physical books, creating long wait periods for customers that wished to order its titles.”

And whatever Hachette decides to do to solve the entire controversy with Amazon will have an impact on all book selling, said Andrew Lipstein, owner of independent publisher Os&1s, to Mashable.

"I think that the solution to this problem is nebulous right now, but the solution for the Hachette, Amazon controversy is theoretically a solution to all book selling," Lipstein said. "That is, whatever Hachette decides to do is most definitely going to pave the way for a more fair deal for publishers."

This problem is just another piece of the ongoing struggle between bookstores and online bookstores. As reported back in 2013, bookstores are finding news ways to try and get customers to stay with them.

And this is coming from top members of the bookselling industry, like Sara Hinckley, spokesperson for Hudson Group, which is a major airport bookstore owner.

“Bookstores across the country, including Hudson, are doing everything they can to give customers a reason to look beyond price as the only deciding purchase factor: a hand-picked selection, personal service, a pleasant shopping environment, convenience, community support and the most aggressive pricing we can afford,” Hinckley said to Deseret News National.

But the reality is that retailers have to make their own products to stay in the mix, wrote Joe Lazauskas of Contently. Those who sell magazines or books, for example, also have to produce their own content to keep people engaged with their store, website or overall business, Lazauskas wrote.

“That’s the reality of the world retail brands live in today,” he wrote. “They need to become masters of delivering the right content, to the right people, in the right places. A perfect formula doesn’t exist, but a few brands are emerging as publishing pioneers, creating rich, targeted content that drives sales and engagement.”

Bookstores, though, might have already dug their own graves, wrote Michael Wolff for USA Today. The top-selling products that are keeping these stores afloat aren’t even that signficant, showing a complete shift in book culture, Wolff wrote.

“The book business has tried to rally a sentimental hurrah based on book culture and literary pride, as well as dire warnings of the loss of same,” Wolff wrote. “This is, however, a difficult case because the industry has not just consolidated into a beast of no cultural distinction at all, but has become an outlet for among the lowest and most ignorant cultural products — books, by and large, are silly and dumb, a cultural wasteland.”

Email: hscribner@deseretdigital.com
Twitter: @herbscribner
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
Herb Scribner
Deseret News
Published: Aug 13, 2018, 1:39 PM
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.