Thank You to Borders: What These Booksellers Meant to Us

For Sourcebooks, Borders was our dear friend over the pond (Lake Michigan, as it were), and they were an essential part of our growth and success over the past 24 years.

The news this week is incredibly difficult, as hundreds of communities lose long-standing gathering places for readers. I really wanted today to say THANK YOU to Borders – to their community of booksellers and home office staff over the years – for being such an important part of our lives, and for their dedication to getting books into the hands of so many people for so many years.

If you'd like to add your thanks, please feel free to comment below and talk about what Borders' booksellers have meant to you. You can also feel free to post to Twitter, Facebook, Google+. [#ThankUBorders!]

To all our friends at Borders, THANK YOU for the enormous contribution that you've made to our lives at Sourcebooks specifically, to books and authors more generally, and most broadly to the book culture that nourishes us all.

You have made a world of difference.

With heartfelt good wishes,

Dominique Raccah and everyone at Sourcebooks

Comments

+2 # Deb Werksman 2011-07-18 16:37

Dianne Defonce was the romance category manager at my local Borders for many years until her recent retirement. Dianne ran 3 different book clubs and held an event every month, where I met great authors like Suzanne Brockmann, and Anne Elizabeth, who is one of our authors now. I’ll never forget an ingenious event that Dianne hosted, where she had every author talk not only about their newest book, but also about one of their favorite books of all time. That was where I grabbed a copy of Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale, and then I went on a hunt for every book Laura Kinsale had ever written. I used to go into Borders and look for Dianne, and she would fill up my arms with books that she knew I would love. I always left the store with at least a dozen books, and Dianne’s recommendations were right on the money. She had hundreds of customers like me, and she knew each one of us, and our reading tastes. Thank you, Dianne, and Borders, for countless hours of reading pleasure!

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-2 # Deb Werksman 2011-07-18 16:41

A special shout-out to Sue Grimshaw, bookseller extraordinaire, who has nurtured so many romance authors and whose generosity with her knowledge is legendary. Thank you Sue for everything you do for authors and readers, and for many joyful times we spent talking about books!

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+2 # Sean Murray 2011-07-18 16:43

I count myself twice blessed for having had the opportunity of both working for Borders as a bookseller and store manager and then with Borders once I came to Sourcebooks. As a publisher, the people at Borders have given us so much over the years. Whether it was Gary Bundzak’s invaluable guidance when we first moved into the College Guide category, Zan Farr’s extraordinary passion when we re-launched Michael Malone, Sue Grimshaw’s great insights with our romance covers or Jennifer Northcutt’s ability to spot a break-out novel, we are better publishers today for having had the opportunity to work with the talented team at Borders.

As a young bookseller, Borders stoked my passion for the book business and provided me with the opportunity to turn that passion into a career. A heartfelt thank-you to everyone at Borders with whom I’ve had the pleasure to work alongside over the years. It has truly been an honor.

Sean Murray

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+2 # todd.stocke 2011-07-18 17:13

It’s easy to look at a large chain retailer and forget that it’s the people who make the thing go. Nowhere was Borders’ culture of booksellers more evident than at their headquarters. As editorial director, I loved that Borders welcomed – indeed encouraged – our editors to visit HQ in Ann Arbor. Buyers relished talking authors and books & creating opportunities for authors based on mutual love for their work. It wasn’t always just about buying and selling – it was about authors and readers. I think of authors like Michael Dobbs, whose Churchill-inspired novels gained foothold through the support of Borders. They showed huge love for Through a Glass Darkly by Karleen Koen. And they found alternate display timing to make gift books like Do You Know Your Bride/Groom really go. And I’m only scratching the surface.

I think of friends over the years like Micha Hershman, who encouraged our growth into the YA category, Joe Holtzman, who gave us one of our first big special sales (and later supported us in so many ways), and folks like Kristin Stewart and Ruta Drummond, who I got to see every year as they gave their weekend time to students at the University of Michigan Publishing Program. There are others, too many to name, and that’s just at HQ - the numbers rise exponentially when you add store-level experiences. To all of you over the years, I tip my cap (it’s a Borders baseball cap, and it's one of my favorites).

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+2 # EC Sheedy 2011-07-19 07:36

A Canadian here, who always looked for a Borders store when she crossed the US border. Loved Borders! The staff was unfailingly friendly, and they always had the books I wanted. I hate, hate, hate to see this chain breaking up. Thank you, Borders!

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+2 # Brad Hentz 2011-07-19 10:23

I owe a debt of gratitude to BGI for giving me the opportunity to enter the book industry. Had I not been hired at a Waldenbooks years ago, I would not be where I am in the book publishing industry today.

What I am most thankful for are the knowledgeable and engaged booksellers I got to work and become long time friends with. Their passion and sheer love of the written word is something I have never forgotten. Indeed, it is truly sad to lose a "home" where book lovers come to share their excitement about literature among friends.

Thank you BORDERS for all the fond memories and great reads!

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-2 # hmoore 2011-07-19 12:42

My tween/teen years were spent combing the shelves of my local Waldenbooks (only bookstore in town) searching for the next Anne of Green Gables, Babysitters Club, Sweet Valley High (yes, I loved them), and countless other books. It was where I discovered authors and books that were so much a part of who I am, and what led me to the publishing industry. For that I am so grateful.

And quick shout out to the Borders on Rt. 59 in Naperville. It has been "our" store down the street, and one I know I have spent a lot of time in.

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