[SuziQ]

Well, if the store would sell books that a larger number of people actually BUY, it wouldn't have to close!

[mewzilla]

The problem is, though, that the big boxes do dictate to a great extent what gets published. Like grocery stores and discount stores do with their shelf space.

Folks can always publish themselves on-line. E-books are an option.

[bkepley]

"It was Bush's fault"? Help me out here. You post a thoughtful analysis on the demise of independent bookstores, and then you follow up with something banal like "it was Bush's fault"?

Well they have to know how to attract customers that's all. There's a thriving independent bookstore here that offers customers an environment and books the chains don't offer. Not that I like it that much. It's a lefty place.