I was sad to get up this morning and find out that Borders, the second biggest bookstore in the country, was considering filing for bankruptcy. Yes, I know it probably puts me a little behind on the times-but really, with news like this who wants to know any sooner than you have to?
This is a major blow to both bookstores and printing and publishing companies that depend on the hunger for the written word to keep them in business. Not long ago we stumbled on an article that said e-books hadn’t made any appreciable difference in the number of actual books sold across the US. The numbers might not add up, but Borders closing the doors on a number of their stores (not all of them, thank goodness) says bookstores are going to need to be savvier than ever if they’re going to stay ahead of online retailers like Amazon and the ebook/Kindle/Nook rage that’s sweeping the nation.
What do you think about Borders closing its doors? Have you given up regular books, or do hardcovers and paperbacks and the smell of paper in the morning still have a warm, wonderful place in your heart?