Tuesday, February 22, 2011

200 Less Places For a Kid to Get a Bible (Borders Bankruptcy)

"A Change in the bookselling environment."

That was one of main reasons why Borders says it closed the doors on over 200 of their retail stores across the country and filed for Chapter 11 Bankrupcy. They also list the economy, Amazon.com, Walmart and Barnes & Nobel as other key factors. Amazon and Walmart for lower prices and Barnes & Nobel for forecasting the change in the "new bookselling environment" quicker with a stronger web presences, and introducing their digital reading device, "Nook".

I, as an author, understand this change in the book environment full well. I recently published all three of my books in the Adventures of Johnny Lazarus Book Series with Amazon.com; but don't look to purchase them, or at least not all of them, in paperback form (the traditional way). I, like many writers, have chosen to forward think a bit about how this new generation of 7-12 year olds will approach book reading; and with that in mind, I published my books digitally first. I have since published my 3rd in the series, and newest book, Wave of Courage, in paperback form, and it is also offered on Amazon.com. But I'm waiting to see what will transpire in book selling a bit more in the next few months before I invest in producing books 1 & 2 in paperback form.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not hip to the change. It hurts to think that not only are there now 200 less places for a child to go to find a great read. I love strolling down to the Children's Section, in a bookstore, and seeing kids in chairs, at tables and even sprawled out on the floor, losing themselves in worlds of fantacy. It gives an author like me a reason to keep on writing, creating and producing. But is Borders announcement a bigger announcement than just a financial one?

Here's a bigger hurt. Closing 200 retail stores also removes 200 locations where books of faith and the Bible itself, will sit on shelves for all to see. For some, parents and preteens, this might have been the only place they might have the Bible even come into view. There are now 200 less places, though the space was small to begin with, for a Bible to catch someone's eye, actually have them pick it up, glance at few pages and possibly do what many have done in the past, actually purchase one. I mean, the Bible still out sells every book, every year...so far!

Questions I'd like answers to:
Will the Bible survive this "change in the bookselling environment"?
How will a preteen gain access to God's Word in the future?
What are we doing to expose preteens to "The Word"?
Is a digital Bible the answer?

Email: keith@keithpoletiek.com
Website: http://www.keithpoletiek.com/
Preteen Outreach: http://www.project316.org/
Facebook: Keith Poletiek
Facebook: The Adventures of Johnny Lazarus
Johnny Lazarus Books: Johnny Lazarus in Wave of Courage

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