Brick & Mortar Ain't What It Used to Be

Yesterday, PublishersWeekly.com reported that eBook sales are on the rise, albeit at a slower pace than before. Google's new eBookstore is expected to have a large impact on sales going forward, but every book purchased electronically is a printed book that's not bought at a brick & mortar retailer, or even from an eRetailer like Amazon. Bookstores are hurting, and despite its play for Barnes & Noble, at Borders "for the first nine months of the year, total sales fell 15%, to $1.52 billion, and the loss increased to $185.2 million from $169.3 million in the comparable period last year."

The story is covered in the article Borders Sales Disappoint, Loss Soars; Liquidity Issues Arise, by Jim Milliot.