Chris Eudaily

When you bring in your used books, movies and music to sell at Nine Lives Books they won't give you cash.

What they give you instead is store credit, credit that Manager Suzanne Farnsworth says is "rather generous" compared to what you might get in cash from a bigger used book store of a similar model.

What this does, she said, is to ensure that the people who come into her store are people who love to read or watch movies themselves, and not just people looking to get rid of boxes of books simply because they are taking up space on their floor or in their garage.

Where else can you find six hardback volumes of Moliere's plays?

Cheever Books has it, along with thousands of other titles lining the shelves of the old house on Broadway. Books in the hallways, books in each corner of every room, and books sitting neatly stacked on the floor.

Many of the book store locations on the West, East, and South Sides of town are of a religious or scholastic tilt, but Collectors Authority stands out as a beacon for comic book collectors.

Part of the reason this local comic book store has been in business for so long on the Southside is its ability to serve a clientele that doesn't really have anything else.

Inspiring reading

Now in their third year at the Pearl complex, The Twig Book Shop is finding solid footing in San Antonio and continues to stay visible by partnering with non-profits and having author signings in-store.

Though they are one of the most well known of the stores featured in these profiles, it's the way they have adapted to the modern book industry that makes them worth taking a closer look at.

Hello, e-reader. Nice to meet you.

The book industry finally settled down in 2012, and thanks to a big push for buying local, independent book stores are feeling good about where they are right now -- and what 2013 may bring.

There are still worries about physical book store locations, especially since so many small stores closed during the recession and Borders, one of the majors, closed in 2011, but there is hope.