New York Book Expo: "Books are Hard to Sell"

It's easy to find Book Expo reports lamenting the death of books, the loss of publishing glamor, and tanking book sales. Just do a google search of the word "despair."  My favorite quote comes from a  New York Magazine article, as follows: "That seems silly, not to take even a small booth,” said Grove Atlantic head Morgan Entrekin, standing in front of his tiny one-table berth — the same as last year. He and other indie publishers found themselves in the odd position of wise and stable elders, people accustomed to lean times and less prone to making sudden moves in response to huge market forces. In good times and bad, said Entrekin, "It's hard as shit to sell books."

*Photo is a giant inflatable sculpture by Paul McCarthy, entitled "Complex Shit." And he ain't whistling Dixie.