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Awful Things in Bookselling by Conversational Reading
DISCLAIMER: Not my Wisdom. Conversational Reading’s wisdom.
Whether or not you like Borders or view it as some kind of parasite on the back of a beleaguered publishing industry, its slow-motion demise is a horrible thing for books. Here’s why:
1) If Borders goes bankrupt, it can’t pay publishers, which means that lots of publishers are going to have serious liquidity problems. Publishing being a business that even in the best of times tends to hover over the brink of insolvency, suddenly being told by one of your biggest buyers that you’re not going to get paid because they’re going bankrupt is more than bad news–it will be a deathblow to many.
2) As Moby Lives puts it, “676 fewer American bookstores.” Undoubtedly, many of those locations will be resurrected in some new form, but that will take time and publishers will suffer while the transition is underway.
3) Having only one major retail chain bookstore in the country is definitely a bad thing. Though our capitalist system has plenty of flaws, increasing competition between vendors is not one of them. To the extent that a damaged and dying Borders can’t compete with Barnes & Noble, the market suffers.
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lifeofliterature reblogged this from reading-is-fun
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nerdgrrrlnerd liked this
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sarcastathon3000 reblogged this from beezystark and added:
Borders already went bust in the UK! I enjoyed going to their closing down sale and sifting through the junk that was...
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jmandrake reblogged this from bookling-stormborn and added:
I always HATE to see bookstores close, although I agree that Borders is my least favorite chain bookseller. But what’s...
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bookling-stormborn reblogged this from beezystark and added:
Borders already can’t pay publishers. I don’t hide the fact that I hate Borders after having worked for them for two...
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meganlives reblogged this from housingworksbookstore and added:
That links to an article that is very short and worth reading. I hate big-box bookstores as much
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bibliofeminista reblogged this from reading-is-fun and added:
Interesting perspective on Borders and big bookstore conglomerates.
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jannygirljr reblogged this from housingworksbookstore and added:
My first instinct upon reading about Borders’ troubles was...feel vindicated—surely this...
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About Us
We are a nonprofit bookstore, cafe, and event space in downtown NYC. All proceeds from every show you attend and everything you buy, down to a record and a PBR, go directly to our mission of fighting AIDS and homelessness. 126 Crosby Street, NYC
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