Hayley Wright, owner of Between the Covers bookstore in Bend, says shoppers may be able to find current best-sellers at big-box stores, but they probably won't be able to find titles like “Big Sur” by Jack Kerouac.

Like booksellers across the nation, Brad Smith of Paulina Springs Books bought a pallet of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” to prepare for the novel’s 2007 release and the hoards of people who would come through his doors in search of it.

That is, Smith was readying for people who hadn’t already bought the book for less at big-box stores like Target or Costco. It has become common practice for the larger, chain stores to hawk top-selling books for below list price.

Just last week, Walmart.com and Amazon.com entered into a bidding war that took low-balling book prices even further. Both companies are marketing a group of 10 still-unpublished best-sellers for about $9 each — as much as 70 percent below the list price of the books. Wal-Mart and Amazon did not release details of any deals they may have cut with publishers to buy the books at a discount. Smith said larger stores do typically pay a lower price for books because of the volume they buy, but not low enough to make a profit on those margins.

For stores like Paulina Springs, which operates in Sisters and Redmond, it would seem impossible to compete. Because Smith runs a small operation, he paid $19.25 for each copy of Harry Potter — a price equal to or more than customers were paying at the corporate stores.

And to some extent, Smith said it is impossible to compete. That’s why, instead of pumping copies of best-sellers out his doors, Smith and other local bookstore owners said they focus on selling to readers who want to discover new, unique authors. His store, he said, is geared toward customers who come for the atmosphere.

“If all they’re interested in is price,” they should go to a corporate bookseller, Smith said. “We’re here for serious readers.”

Hayley Wright, owner of Bend’s Between the Covers, agreed.

She said people come to her store not for the price of the book, but for the kind of book. Sure, she might have a copy of Dan Brown’s newest novel, but it’s very possible that it’s cheaper at Costco or Walmart.

However, a customer probably won’t find anything by Jack Kerouac or Tom Robbins on the shelves of a big-box store, Wright said. And, at her store, people will find someone who knows something about literature.

“We add to people’s experience,” Wright said. “We can make recommendations to people who read and are looking for a good book.”

All of that doesn’t mean that Smith and Wright don’t want customers who shop at larger stores. They merely know their readers: someone who is willing to spend a few extra bucks because they want the experience of an independent store and want to invest their money in the local community.

Supporting local business is why many people shop at Paulina Springs, Smith said.

“Within our culture there is a segment of people who value building a community enterprise,” he said.

Wright said the price-dropping of certain books at Walmart.com and Amazon .com is disconcerting, especially when customers tell her that they plan to buy a book on one of those Web sites because it’s cheaper. But it also motivates her.

“It’s that concern that makes me more personable to my customers,” Wright said.

Wal-Mart told The New York Times in an e-mail that it continues “to adjust our pricing so that Walmart.com offers the lowest prices on these top pre-sellers in books.” The company also said that the books may rise in price when they are finally published.

Amazon did not respond to a request for comment.

Melody Carlson’s books sell at both types of stores. Although she loves independent stores and has held readings at Paulina Springs, the Bend-area author said she knows that a large portion of her readers buy the books at the big-box stores.

“I try to support the indie bookstores as much as I can,” said Carlson, who has published more than 200 books.

Carlson said she buys locally as often as possible. With how busy she is, it’s not always realistic, she said. Sometimes, she’ll break down and buy a book online.

With the growing popularity of iPhones and electronic reading devices, online book sales are changing. Amazon, for example, has the Kindle, a handheld, electronic wireless device that can store more than 200 books.

Amazon has dropped prices for some titles as low as you can go: $0. That includes Carlson’s book, “The Christmas Bus.” With a price tag of free for the Kindle edition, “The Christmas Bus” spent much of last week as the No. 1 best-seller on Amazon’s Kindle book list, and is now at No. 2.

“I’m just happy that they’re out there and available,” Carlson said.

The main thing that frustrates Smith about the price wars between Walmart.com and Amazon.com is the free advertisement they’ve received from the press. Now, when people think of those stores, they’ll just think of cheap books, he said, which is what he thinks the companies were hoping for.

Duncan McGeary, owner of Pegasus Books in downtown Bend, said the price cutting doesn’t bother him because he caters to a different set of readers. He sells mostly used books and some new literature.

McGeary said if people asked for some of the best-sellers, he would order them. But so far, he hasn’t had to.

“I didn’t get the Dan Brown book. I didn’t have anyone ask for the Dan Brown book,” he said. “I have Alexander Dumas and Charles Dickens.”