Awesome agent Samantha Haywood writes at Open Book Toronto about the vagaries of ebook shopping. Why’s it so damn hard to find anything? Hear hear.

Have you tried “browsing” for ebooks lately? My own experience has left me worried that unless you are specifically searching for the title you already know you want, you aren’t going to actually find anything new or undiscovered online via the Sony, Kindle or Kobo sites.* Which, I think, was the hope, that somehow ease of search would result in a democratization of how books are displayed and sold. Instead, it seems that only the blockbuster bestsellers are selling as ebooks because readers have already heard about them and are perhaps seeking places to buy them cheaper. All of which may lead to the end of the paperback, I’m told by New York publishing friends, but let’s leave that for a future column.

The problem, as I see it, is the ebook retailers’ suggested reading lists and categorization, or lack thereof. In order for ebook publishing to live up to its potential of bringing new readers to new books, we need to replicate (simulate?) the physical act of book-store browsing in these online spaces. Browsing for new reads is what feeds publishing. Why else would publishers pay through the nose for prime table-top co-op? So your book is the first thing the consumer sees upon entering the store. Impulse can sell books, so why aren’t online retailers taking every advantage they can to appeal to readers beyond prizes and bestseller lists? And as our physical (read: independent) bookstores disappear at an ever alarming rate, more than ever we’re craving human interaction at the online check-out. Are we burying our treasures too deep where no one can find them?