In an opinion piece in the Washington Post, author and bookseller Ann Patchett offered a somewhat friendly if wary welcome to new Post owner Jeff Bezos.Writing wistfully about change and hoping that Bezos can help the Post thrive, she said, "I realize that I'm extending optimism and goodwill without knowing Bezos's vision for the paper. I also realize that optimism and goodwill toward Bezos may seem a little strange coming from me, a spokesperson for independent bookstores and someone who is forever climbing up on a chair to rail against Amazon.... Bezos has been a forceful visionary, an industry leader and often a steamroller. While I disagree fiercely with many of Amazon's business practices, I regard Bezos as a man who makes things work."
She ended with a bit of bookseller-to-bookseller advice: "Since it's safe to assume that Bezos is reading the Post thoroughly these days, let me offer a piece of advice that will benefit us both: Expand the book review offerings. Nothing beats newspaper reviews for selling books. And bookselling, after all, is one of the businesses we're both in."
Shelf Awareness
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