Is Black Wednesday Dan Brown's Fault?

Of course it isn't, says the economists who talk about a myriad of different things.

Still, here's this quote about struggling Doubleday:

"Dan Brown, author of “The Da Vinci Code,” failed to deliver his next novel, originally set for release in 2005. Jon Krakauer, author of the adventure hits “Into the Wild” and “Into Thin Air,” withdrew his book about Pat Tillman, the former football star killed in Afghanistan, originally scheduled for an October release."

source:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/04/business/04publish.html

Imagine how things would have been different if he had delivered that book and brought people into bookstores to buy it, and browse around a little, and maybe bring their kids who want a book, too, and maybe things turn around a little for the rest of us, just enough...

Our industry does seem to be built upon the backs of blockbusters, from what I can tell. When Blockbuster authors don't deliver and new Blockbuster authors can't be found quickly enough for that particular demographic of folk who don't buy but one or two books a year, and can't be bothered to browse a bookstore otherwise - can't be bothered to take that extra trip to the store with their kids.

If you want to do something nice for publisher's today, and help all those people who lost their jobs find new ones, the best thing you can do is to visit your local bookstore and pick up something you've been meaning to get but haven't gotten around to, yet. Go buy a book.

Buy one with every paycheck, and read it before you get your next paycheck.

Don't buy a used book, either. I mean buy a brand, spanking new book.

Feel free to drop into the comments and tell everyone what you bought, and where you bought it.