Posted on October 30, 2019 at 8:57 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek
The perception of Barnes & Noble has been almost as wild of a ride as the bookstore chain’s fortunes.
Years ago, many bookworms saw it as the big bad bully driving indie bookstores out of business.
And now the tables have turned — B&N is the underdog, fighting for its survival in the face of a different big bad bully (Amazon, if you didn’t guess).
B&N’s new CEO, James Daunt, has seen his role flip in a similar fashion.
As NPR notes in a new interview with Daunt, he began his career at the helm of a solo shop, which grew from a single store to a small regional chain to the largest bookseller in the United Kingdom.
But Daunt's perception of himself hasn't changed that drastically.
"I don't think of myself remotely as being a chain bookseller," he told NPR's Lynn Neary. "I'm an independent bookseller who just happens to be running a chain at the moment."
Will his leadership result in another reversal for B&N? Read Daunt's interview (or listen below) and make your own predictions.
Categories: Today in Books