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Borders Bankruptcy: The Beginning of the End for Children’s Books?
One of the largest book chains plans to close about 200 stores
While at age 2 my daughter can’t read, she still takes a few books into bed with her after getting tucked in, and by the reflection of her night light, she flips through the pages and tells herself the stories, usually with my husband and I listening in on the baby monitor and chuckling at her interpretation of Knuffle Bunny or Sleeping Beauty.
I adore my Kindle to no end, but nothing can replace an actual children’s book. Beyond the words and pictures on the page, sometimes it’s simply the experience of holding the book, turning the pages, tucking it under their arm while they march off with it to the potty, and running their fingers along the rows of spines on the shelves in a library or bookstores that makes memories.
It was announced today that Border Group has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy with plans to close about 200 of its 659 stores. While the move doesn’t come as a surprise to the experts on Wall Street, it’s still a sad day when fewer books will be available to readers. While it used to be the death of independent booksellers that was mourned by so many, now there are fears that even the big box stores are in danger of extinction.
E-books really are life-changing, but how does a toddler cuddle up with a Kindle, Nook or iPad in bed at night? How different will the experience be when your kid goes to the library for story hour and the librarian holds up something electronic instead of something paper for the little ones sitting on the floor?
Let’s hope that as electronic books continue to rise in popularity, people will still remember the good old-fashioned books in the meantime and make a serious effort to support big and small booksellers so that our grandkids don’t grow up thinking of books the way we think of 8-track tapes and our kids think of vinyl records – relics of a time gone by.
Do you think the death of books is inevitable?
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goddess commented on Feb 16 11 at 10:52 amI sure hope not! My 12yr old got a Nook for Christmas- and she love sit. But she still likes to read regular books as well. I love technology- but I’m waiting for the iPad to come down in price, LOL. I can’t imagine books dying- I sure hope not! With as much as I read- and like to re-read- those devices better have REALLY large storage capacities!
Anonimom commented on Feb 16 11 at 11:55 amI don’t think we are in any danger of living in a world without children’s books. I can’t help feeling that part of the problem with Borders and the other big box “book” stores is that they weren’t really book stores at all. They were music -coffee-magazine-stationary-toy-calendar-pastry shops masquerading as book stores. I think that they are merely the latest victim of online retail because they tried to be all things to all people and that takes up a lot space in a brink and mortar store, whereas online it is much easier.
Furthermore, I don’t think we have to worry about the local library going digital at story time. Local communities barely have enough money to keep libraries open, much less purchase fancy electronics for story hour.
Kikiriki commented on Feb 16 11 at 12:41 pmYeah, I don’t think we’re going to lose out on print books for a LOOOOOONG time, especially children’s books. Amazon just put Borders out of business is all. It’s like WalMart coming in and putting KMart out of business.
Ri-chan commented on Feb 16 11 at 2:26 pm:( the only bookstore in our area is a borders.
Meredith Carroll commented on Feb 16 11 at 2:34 pm@Ri-Chan — They’re not all closing, so maybe there’s still some hope for the ones in your neighborhood.
@Anonimom — I love independent booksellers, but I also love some of the larger stores. I used to live in a neighborhood in Manhattan with a Barnes and Noble on the corner and you could read the magazines and books without buying them while sitting down for a snack or cup of coffee. I’d rather support smaller stores, but sometimes I can’t afford to, so it’s nice to have options.
Anonimom commented on Feb 16 11 at 3:53 pmMeredith- I think you just hit the nail on the head as to why these chains are going out of business. A place where you can sit and read things without paying for the material is called a library, not a bookstore.
Meredith Carroll commented on Feb 16 11 at 3:56 pm@Anonimom — I think you’re assuming that browsing can’t lead to purchasing. I disagree.
Max Elliot Anderson commented on Feb 16 11 at 4:53 pmI’ve been thinking a lot about this subject recently. As an author of adventures & mysteries for kids, I have a stake in the outcome. Then I thought about how far we’ve come with something as basic as the telephone. In my den, I have one of those wooden, wall mounted, crank phones. In the basement I have an old pay phone with nickel, dime, and quarter slots. Oh, and it’s a dial phone, too. Back when Dick Tracy talked into a radio watch on his wrist, people thought the author of that strip was crazy. Now look at what’s happened to our phones. Shoot, we even take pictures with them now.
The same transition can be applied to what used to be my profession in the production of films. Now it’s all gone to digital video. And when’s the last time you saw a one-hour photo shop?
It was only a matter of time for some of these same transitions to reach book publishing. We’ll simply have to adjust.
Max Elliot Anderson
Books for Boys Blog
http://booksandboys.blogspot.com
Jaya commented on Feb 16 11 at 6:01 pmI don’t think the E-books will really replace the paper books. But they will play a major role as another source of information providers to kids. Kids will have their share of reading paper-based books especially when parents forget to keep their devices charged :) Also, schools will continue to have paper-based books. Their pace of adoption to technology is very slow , good or bad.
Meredith Carroll commented on Feb 16 11 at 10:26 pm@Max — All good points. I can’t think of the last time I saw a pay phone, by the way!
@Jaya — I’m definitely guilty of letting batteries run low.
Matt commented on Feb 17 11 at 10:48 amWhat a strange leap to take, from the demise of one poorly run company to the demise of books and of children’s books in particular.
E-books are in addition to, not in place of, paper books. They both have their place, the publishing and bookselling industries will need to continue to evolve, but the rise of one technology doesn’t always mean the demise of another. TV didn’t replace radio, cable didn’t replace broadcast, dvds didn’t replace movies or tv, mp3s didn’t replace cds. 3D won’t replace 2D.
Things change, but not usually apocalyptically, despite our tendency to see the end of life as we know it in every change. Borders was badly run, that’s all. If they emerge from chap. 11, one can hope they will be better run. If not, they will be replaced by something else. My little town of 9000 has 5 thriving independent bookstores and a library that’s always packed.
But children and parents will always curl up with a good book, and if the availability of e-books and Amazon means that happens more often, then all to the good. As for me, I don’t own an e-reader and don’t expect I ever will, and I like to shop both at local bookstores and at Amazon. And my kids and I aren’t worried at all.
Meredith Carroll commented on Feb 17 11 at 1:20 pm@Matt — You seem to be missing something. DVDs didn’t replace movies, but they replaced VHS tapes, which replaced Betamax. MP3s are on the verge of replacing CDs, just like CDs replaced cassettes, which replaced vinyl, which replaced 8 tracks. Books will still exist in some format, but talk to anyone in the publishing industry about the future of paper books, and their outlook is bleak. It’s a lovely thought that e-books are meant to be in addition to paper books, but the reality is that fewer books are being printed as e-readers become more ubiquitous.
Matt commented on Feb 18 11 at 12:00 amYes, I’m sure there are fewer books being printed. But your article wasn’t titled “The Beginning of Fewer Books Being Printed.” It was “The Beginning of the End for Children’s Books.” It’s not.
Your article didn’t end with “Do you think a decline in the number of books being printed is inevitable.” You ended with “Do you think the death of books is inevitable.” I don’t.
And, I’m guessing from your comment above, neither do you. Just sensationalism to get attention?
Meredith Carroll commented on Feb 18 11 at 12:47 am@Matt — The headline had a question mark, not a period at the end. It wasn’t a statement, but a question posed for discussion. And the question at the end was just that, too. I’m not optimistic for the future of paper books, which is why I wrote this post. There was nothing sensational about it.
Jocelyn commented on Feb 20 11 at 12:59 amI don’t know. My daughter’s high school this year gave each child an ipad, and all of their textbooks and reading material for classes is on it. She still reads regular books for pleasure, but her learning for school is all digital. It’s great for her back, not having to lug around textbooks. Maybe this is the direction of the future. I personally love real books and am struggling with the transition.
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