They're calling it the "make" book program and its part of a new strategy implemented by CEO Ron Marshall to bring Borders out of the doldrums (and possible bankruptcy) and into the bookselling limelight.
How it works:
They take a "few works favored by Borders national sales officials and promote them nationwide in the spirit of a local seller, from prominent placement to personally advocating ("hand-selling") books in the stores."
So far the four books they have chosen have become bestsellers and "publishers have credited Borders with either being an early factor in the book's success or a key in turning a hit into a major hit."
The irony is deafening. Here's a company that was part of the cabal responsible for the decimation of the independent bookselling community and now, with their backs to the wall, they are adopting the very strategy that is at the core of independent bookselling.
Whether its enough remains to be seen.
AP writer Hillel Itlaie has more in his piece Borders superstore chain looks to 'make hits'
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Is Borders Indie Bound?
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2 comments:
Have you read the comments on the PW article or seen the I Work At Borders LiveJournal community? Those books are being handsold with quotas. Under threats of termination if not enough are sold. The company is going down, and the AP article is completely off kilter as to what is actually going on in the stores.
I worked for Borders for 5 years, and got out a few years ago. It has made me quite sad to see the direction the company has taken.
It's gone beyond threat--a store manager was already fired. Locally, stores are asked to sell these particular titles to at least 33% of shoppers. I asked after three workers tried their spiel on me. I don't see how 33% of the people in the store at the time, overwhelmingly moms with small kids, would be a buyer for the WWII book they were hawking at the time...
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