Now that Borders is in the process of fulfilling the dreams of its only true rival (Barnes & Noble) by beginning the process of complete surrender, I'm wondering why no one seems to be making the connection between the successful launch of the Nook and the explosion of e-readers in general as the most likely proverbial nail in Border's coffin? So far, the demise of this once giant player in the retail book market is being pinned primarily on poor retail performance (naturally) and an expansion plan that was too aggressive for the current retail climate.
Whenever a business fails, or begins to fail, the balance sheet becomes the primary focus--and it should. But I worry that by fixating exclusively on the balance sheets, were missing the larger, and, I believe, far more interesting story--the dawn of the e-book age and the beginning of the end for the box model that has dominated the book industry for so long.
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