From Publishers Weekly, March 19:
| Quote: |
| The possibility that Borders may one day be for sale has been discussed in publishing circles for several years, but that chance became more likely with the early morning announcement from the bookstore chain that it had hired J.P. Morgan Securities and Merrill Lynch to help it explore strategic alternatives. Those options, Borders said, include the possible sale of the company and/or some of its divisions. Continued… |
This could be terrifying news for the American book industry. What happens if Barnes & Noble buys Borders? Or if Borders is chopped up into smaller companies?
Imagine the megalithic Barnes & Noble tromping throughout the US with no stiff competition? Sure, Amazon offers some resistance but online has yet to replace the neighborhood book store.
What happens if B&N decides to not carry an author or title? With no Borders, publishers will have little recourse.
What’s worse than two gigantic book chains? There being only one…
| Quote: |
| To write books is easy, it requires only pen and ink and the ever-patient paper. To print books is a little more difficult, because genius so often rejoices in illegible handwriting. To read books is more difficult still, because of a tendency to go to sleep. But the most difficult task of all that a mortal man can embark on is to sell a book.
from a poem by Felix Dahn, paraphrased by Sir Stanley Unwin |
(Thanks to Jeff VanderMeer for the link and for offering a unique solution)