The publishing world is all up in arms because one of the major booksellers, Borders, is closing. We knew this was coming. They closed a bunch of stores a while back.
Is this the beginning of the end? Will Barnes and Noble and all the other brick and mortars close up soon too???
No one knows for sure. But what I do know for sure is that I am going to keep doing what I'm doing and getting my name and my books out there. That's all I can do.
Obviously, it was not profitable for Borders to remain open. If they'd been selling books...they wouldn't be closing now.
Yes, it is sad. And many look at this as writers and publishers losing tons of sales. I just don't see it that way. People will go to other stores. And even if every single bookstore on the planet closed right now, would people stop reading books?? No! They'd just buy them online, whether they still opt for paper or go digital.
Are we losing the browsing buyer..I guess, in a way. But they are not going to stop reading either. They will just have to "browse" some other way...isn't that what Goodreads is all about?
And let's talk a minute about the avid readers who do not own computers and do not go online, the reader who likes to browse the bookstores and take home the ones that appeal to them. Well....as an author, I am going to do my best to reach them too, whether it be by library talks and book signings, ads in magazines, radio, local tv..... And don't they say word of mouth is your best advertisement? If I write the best book possible and people like it, people will talk about it and the non-internet readers will find out about it.
Borders closing is not the end of the world. But it is a reminder that the publishing world is changing very quickly and we absolutely need to prepare ourselves for more closings like this.
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