Ralph Nader has joined with a group of 27 authors and scholars to send a letter to Borders Group chairman Greg Josefowicz asserting that the company's category management program could cause financial problems for small publishers and, ultimately, a reduction in book title output. New Press publisher André Schiffrin; Jonathan Tasini, president of the National Writers Union; and No Logo author Naomi Klein were among the signatories to the letter that asks Josefowicz to reconsider the program.
"Such pop-tart marketing likely will slash the range of book titles and ideas available to the public," the letter states, a reference that alludes to Josefowicz's supermarket background. Category management will also "jeopardize small presses" who will not be able to afford the fees to manage a category, and thus will be denied shelf space, the letter says. "Worst of all, it will further strengthen the hand of publishing conglomerates that have too much power already," it continues.
The letter doesn't want for rhetoric: "The Kremlin would have found it difficult to invent a more subtle and effective way of suppressing original viewpoints and ideas," Nader et al. wrote.
In a statement issued by Borders, Josefowicz said that the letter "illustrated a fundamental misunderstanding of our approach to category management," and he invited any of the signers to visit Borders's headquarters to discuss how the process is applied. By collaborating with vendors to determine consumer needs, category management will "enhance what we offer to book and music enthusiasts" across the country, Josefowicz wrote. "A fundamental truth of category management is that customers drive the process," Josefowicz continued. He reiterated that "only Borders decides what goes on our shelves," and said suppliers will be chosen to manage a category based on their experience, not size.
