Words Without Borders

Variety‘s profile of bookstore chains (sub req’d) reads like an article with an extra pair of chromosomes. It hits on all the major topics but seems to hope readers mistake its hitting them again for “heavy-hitting” journalism.

Still, some interesting facts emerge: 400 million people walk through Barnes & Noble’s doors each year; and, after Starbucks, B & N is the country’s largest retailer of coffee. (Who knew?)

Also of interest:

-Variety’s profile takes pains to mention the chains’ “cultural mission” — i.e., their expansion of communities’ “literary culture.” (Among the communities mentioned: Fort Dodge, Iowa; Bangor, Maine; and Fort Wayne, Indiana — “dubbed America’s ‘dumbest city’ by Men’s Health magazine”.)

-Not only do publishers court buyers like Sessalee Hensley (B & N) and Tom Dwyer (Borders) aggressively, Variety reports, but they also “[give] them wide latitude in shaping the content and the marketing of books.” (Content? Can any readers cite examples?)

-Dwyer verifies that, “more than ever,” “the books on [display tables] are less a reflection of the taste of the buyer than of complex statistical analysis of what will sell.”

-Stephen Reggio (B & N’s “topper”) claims he’s “never understood why publishers pursue” markets like Wal-Mart or Costco. (Ah, the age old question: Why try to sell books where they sell?)

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