2012 was a very bad year for chain bookstores.
Having dealt with them on the business side, I can tell you that I'm not surprised in the slightest by this news. E-retailers now have 40% of the market and they'll soon have much much more. I think that could be a good thing...but only if amazon doesn't become the on-line equivalent of the chain bookstore.
As a consumer it may be convenient, but they are really starting to squeeze their vendors (just as the chain bookstores do), and when that happens, the markets will dry up. It's the reason we have rules against monopolies in this country.
