NEW YORK — Borders Group chain, which has been struggling to stay in business, is seeking renewal through the timeless art of “hand-selling” books.
In January, soon after chief executive Ron Marshall was hired, Borders began an independent-style strategy on a superstore scale. The idea was to select 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. Borders calls it a “make” book program.
“There has to be the in-house passion,” said Kathryn Popoff, Borders’ vice president for trade books.
So far, four titles have been selected: Jeffrey Zaslow’s nonfiction chronicle of the lifelong bond among 11 Iowa women, “The Girls From Ames”; Jamie Ford’s debut novel, “On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet”; the paperback of David Benioff’s World War II novel, “City of Thieves”; and the paperback for Kelly Corrigan’s “The Middle Place,” a memoir about enduring breast cancer. All four have been best sellers.
“It’s almost as if Borders is going back to its roots as a personal, hand-selling organization,” said Albert Greco, a Fordham University professor and industry analyst. The Associated Press
