Publisher And Bookseller Get Into Spat

Barnes & Noble’s CEO has reacted angrily to a suggestion by publisher Random House that it might begin selling its books directly to readers online. “The announcement of the new plans comes as the book business is suffering through a second consecutive year of almost-flat sales. The average age of book consumers continues to climb, and except for children’s and religious books, few areas of the business seem to be picking up new readers.”