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I guess it’s hard for people to see beyond the past.
With eBooks, editions equals formats. A bookstore that only sold books by one publisher would go TU, so why would an eBookstore sell only one format? Why wouldn’t Borders follow the successful example set by Fictionwise and sell books in every common format? Disk space is cheap and getting cheaper, the opposite of paper--so is it publishing's past that's confusing management?
And while Borders sells the Sony PRS in their brick-and-mortar stores, they need to get aggressive with eBook reader manufacturers and sell Astaks, Cybooks, Iliads, and whatever else comes along through Borders OnLine; plus the formats those devices can display--assuming Borders wants to become the go-to place for books. But they have to act before Amazon realizes their mistakes with the Kindle.
No one seems willing to answer the question: what is a publisher? Isn’t the role of publishers to: find and develop authors; edit promising manuscripts; arrange the layout, printing and distribution of the books they pick-up, and finally promote their books? When books are published as eBooks over the Internet how are offices connected by the Internet different than offices connected by a Local Area Network in the same New York City office building? Why can’t Borders enhance the talent they already have and develop publishing units across the world?
We need to learn from the past without becoming its slaves. The "greatness" of the supposed “Greatest Generation” was only in that they were willing to think big and take big chances. After the risks they took in The War, any risk these people confronted in business seemed trivial.
I like Borders and wish them well. I hope they will take the opportunity fate has pushed on them.
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