West Village

It has never been clear whether author book tours are a worthwhile investment. Fewer publishers are shelling out to send their authors across the country these days and BookTour.com shut down last year, conceding that “fewer author tours and changes in book marketing budgets have made our company financially unviable.” Now Brooklyn-based startup Togather hopes to make author book tours more of a sure thing by adding a group-buying dynamic that requires people to commit and buy a book before an author event takes place.

This past weekend, while visiting New York on a short work-related trip, I was reminded of how much I miss printed books.

I set out to wander the city aimlessly, and I came across a small, old corner bookstore along the cobbled streets of the West Village.

I immediately stopped, looking at the dozens of books in the shop’s window, and it quickly occurred to me that I had not been into a physical bookstore in months. Instead, I now shop in online digital bookstores and read novels on my Kindle or iPad.