''Paperback Dreams'' is a 2008 television documentary film about the fate of bookstores in the

new economy The New Economy refers to the ongoing development of the American economic system. It evolved from the notions of the classical economy via the transition from a manufacturing-based economy to a service-based economy, and has been driven by ...

, that was part of the KQED (

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

station) documentary film series, ''Truly CA''. It is "the story of two landmark

independent bookstores An independent bookstore is a retail bookstore which is independently owned. Usually, independent stores consist of only a single actual store (although there are some multi-store independents). They may be structured as sole proprietorships, c ...

and their struggle to survive. The film follows Andy Ross, owner of

Cody's Books Cody's Books (19562008) was an independent bookstore based in Berkeley, California. It "was a pioneer in bookselling, bringing the paperback revolution to Berkeley, fighting censorship, and providing a safe harbor from tear gas directed at anti ...

, and Clark Kepler, owner of

Kepler's Books Kepler's Books and Magazines is an independent bookstore in Menlo Park, California. It was founded on May 14, 1955 by Roy Kepler. He previously had worked as a staff member of radio station KPFA, listener-supported and based in Berkeley. The boo ...

, over the course of two tumultuous years in the book business."Official Site
/ref> ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' notes that Beckstead became interested in the topic after becoming a "fan" of Cody's and Kepler's. While working in

Menlo Park, California Menlo Park is a city at the eastern edge of San Mateo County within the San Francisco Bay Area of California in the United States. It is bordered by San Francisco Bay on the north and east; East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, and Stanford to the south ...

, he frequently shopped at Kepler's. Beckstead stated: "When I heard Kepler's was closing riefly in 2005 I was shocked: it's in one of the most affluent, educated cities in America—just 15 minutes from Stanford University—and it made me realize that if an independent bookstore couldn't survive there, there must be a larger story."Documentary Chronicles Indies' Challenges
/ref> After making the documentary, Beckstead stated that he discovered "four elements essential to the survival of an independent bookstore: Own your own building ..Hire experienced staff ..Sell used books ..Figure out some way to sell books online."

Screenings

''Paperback Dreams'' aired on

stations beginning in November 2008. It was previously screened at Book Expo America on May 31, 2008. and at the

Oakland Museum of California The Oakland Museum of California or OMCA (formerly the Oakland Museum) is an interdisciplinary museum dedicated to the art, history, and natural science of California, located adjacent to Oak Street, 10th Street, and 11th Street in Oakland, Cal ...

(presented jointly with the Oakland Film Office) on August 1, 2008.KQED Announcement

Notes

External links

Official website
*

2008 television films 2008 films American documentary films Works about book publishing and bookselling Films set in the San Francisco Bay Area Culture in the San Francisco Bay Area Public Broadcasting Service 2000s American films {{documentary-tv-film-stub

Screenings

See also

Notes

External links