{"id":85577,"date":"2026-05-19T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T06:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.opinionpublica.tv\/portada\/?p=85577"},"modified":"2026-05-18T17:52:36","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T23:52:36","slug":"what-is-a-bookstore-without-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.opinionpublica.tv\/portada\/what-is-a-bookstore-without-books\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a bookstore without books?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"What<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ryan Min walked up to a dimly-lit bar on a Saturday morning in early May, claimed a seat on the right side and placed an order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m really into trippy, mind-bending, twisty thrillers,\u201d Min, a 27-year-old software engineer in Manhattan, said. \u201cWhat would you recommend?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bartender presented him with an audiobook sampling of a Stephen King best seller and a pair of cushioned headphones. This bar was stocked with a variety of audiobooks, ordered based on preferred vibe, rather than alcohol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across the bar, Rachel Sun, 29, an accountant in New York, ordered a swoon-worthy \u201cenemies-to-lovers\u201d tale. The bartender obliged. When both had savored the previews, the bartender offered them each an audiobook on the house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The house, in this case, is the Audible Story House \u2014 a pop up bookstore staged by the audiobook giant, which is owned by Amazon, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The over-6,000-square-foot retail space, which is open through May, does not, of course, hold any physical books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople want not only to have IRL experiences, they want things that are tangible and not just digital,\u201d said James Finn, Audible\u2019s global head of brand and content marketing. The aim of this bookless bookstore, therefore, was to \u201cbring the concept and the intimacy of listening to audiobooks and podcasts and various productions to life in a different way,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Audible\u2019s take on the bookstore is a three-story emporium complete with an event space for craft nights and author panels and a cafe selling matcha lattes and merch like baseball caps inscribed with the phrase \u201cI heard it on a podcast.\u201d The shop also has two large listening lounges equipped with surround-sound, listening booths where individuals or small groups can sample the audiobooks and a listening bar where patrons can consult a \u201cstory tender\u201d to get personalized recommendations from a list of titles available on Audible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are bookcases arranged by genre, as in any bookstore, but instead of paperbacks, the shelves hold story tiles \u2014 translucent slabs featuring a rendering of a book\u2019s cover. Shoppers who tap the tiles with their devices are led to a preview of the audiobook on the company\u2019s website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although physical books still dominate the market, digital audiobooks are among the fastest-growing segments in publishing, according to data from the Association of American Publishers. The share of publishers\u2019 revenues coming from digital audiobooks totaled more than 11 percent last year, up from 3.5 percent in 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This has led booksellers across the country to shift their sales strategies in the hopes of winning over the audiobook consumer. LibroFM, a service that allows shoppers to purchase audiobooks directly from independent bookstores, has emerged as a tool to stay competitive against giants like Audible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"What<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Selling audiobooks in-store, however, has been a challenge for independent booksellers, which typically rely on promotions and giveaways to bring their audiobook offerings to the attention of shoppers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Strand bookstore, which has four permanent locations in New York, has gotten creative. Last month, it hid golden tickets in its stores, and shoppers who found them won a yearlong subscription to LibroFM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAmazon has done a pretty phenomenal job over the last 20 years of trying to put as many independent bookstores out of business as possible,\u201d said Kat Pongrace, the marketing director at the Strand bookstore. LibroFM has given the Strand \u201ca digital storefront\u201d that supports a \u201chealthy independent reading ecosystem,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of Audible\u2019s bookstore, unlike that of traditional retailers, is to drive new subscriptions to its platform rather than to allow for the purchase of individual titles. Customers new to Audible are encouraged to sign up for a trial of its service in the store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m very focused on three core things,\u201d Finn said. \u201cIt\u2019s exposing more people to our brand, really leaning into the content that we have that\u2019s distinct and the communities around it, and then just cultural relevance for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Audible\u2019s departure from the traditional bookstore can also be seen in its seemingly single-minded endorsement of low-hanging literary fruit. Over several visits, its \u201cstory tenders\u201d frequently recommended classics, trending authors and cemented best sellers in addition to Audible originals. The fiction bookcases were populated by popular titles such as \u201cNormal People\u201d by Sally Rooney and \u201cYesteryear\u201d by Caro Claire Burke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While exploring the store, Natasha Woon and Jackie Altman, a pair of friends, tested out the listening booths \u2014 alcoves tucked among the bookcases \u2014 and a lounge on the basement floor, where they listened to \u201cPride and Prejudice\u201d in the dark while loafing on a large daybed with other shoppers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Altman, 24, a neuropsychology technician in Boston, found the \u201cclinking of glasses, the chatter in the background and the dialogue\u201d in the recording appealing, likening the listening experience to watching a movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vaughan Carman, 29, who handles operations at a men\u2019s wear boutique, said he just came to \u201chang out\u201d and use the space to get some work done. He liked that the space was not too busy nor too bright and that allowed him to focus. While there, he wandered into the listening bar and was recommended Toni Morrison\u2019s \u201cBeloved.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t really used audiobooks,\u201d he said. But, after sampling a snippet of the novel, he thought \u201cit was a good intro to it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n