Writers are dying -- dying! -- out there in the printed paper world.
I didn't see Shakespeare & Co. closing their lower Manhattan store as a sign.
I figured since Borders opened a big store a few blocks away, it was another Wal-Mart Syndrome reaction.
But then within the past few weeks I've seen Barnes & Noble close two big stores. And I mean big: multi-floored affairs, each which had a Starbucks-like cafe in them!
Yesterday I went searching for several books.
I won't name the writers because they'll want to slit their wrists after reading this.
Their work was unavailable.
These are recent books. Books that should have still been on the shelves at any mega-store.
Even at Shakespeare & Co.'s NoHo store (which used to have great stock; and which now doesn't).
But they weren't.
And then I looked around.
And, dear God almighty!, the stores should have had tumbleweeds running through them because they were like abandoned ghost towns!
This was all in Manhattan.
This has never, ever happened before.
Even in past recessions, I've seen people in books stores. The places were alive. Now they are dead.
Books are dying out there.
I don't know if it's because people are on the Internet instead.
Or if they're buying from Amazon instead.
Or if people simply give up because they can't find the book they want.
We need ebooks to save writers.
We need Apple to kick the crappy Kindle aside and give ebooks the stamp of legitimacy and broad popularity downloaded music got from the iPod.
If this doesn't happen soon, all will be lost.
This is an outright crisis.
Save us writers, Apple!
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