[LMB] Science fiction dying out?

[Paula Lieberman]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Katrina Knight" <kknight at fastmail.fm>


> At 10:52 AM 12/2/2007 Ed Burkhead wrote:
>
>>I had a long conversation with a used bookstore owner.
>>
>>He asserted that he expected Science Fiction to die out, more
>>or less
>>completely, in the next 10-20 years.  That's based on his
>>observation that
>>no one under 50 ever, ever, comes in to look at the SF section
>>of the store.
>
> I don't think that's a good way to make an overall judgement on
> that subject. How much current SF does he have? In my
> experience, most used book stores don't tend to have much in the
> way of current SF.  Some of them have varying amounts of common,
> older SF. Some of them don't even have that. What's he seeing
> may well have to do with the fact that younger people have
> simply learned not to bother looking at his SF section because
> what they want isn't there because people aren't selling it to
> him to put on his shelves. Most of the people I know who read SF
> also like to keep their books and used bookstores can only sell
> what people want to sell to them.

Another question is price... some used books stores charge low prices, other 
charge half the cover price.  If that used books are less expensive than the 
print on demand copies, or the prospective buyer sees the old cover as more 
attractive....