Dan Brown or Bust

I was in a Waterstones yesterday and all is not well. The new central distribution centre, known as 'The Hub.' is having severe teething problems. The Hubbologitsts, thought that all would be fine and dandy once it was up and running. Not so, my futuristic friends. Books are being distributed, but nobody knows where. One bookseller told me that whilst they were unable to get hold of the Anthony Beevor book on D-Day, a bestseller that has been favourably reviewed everywhere, his area manager phoned him and the only question he asked was,'why haven't they pre-ordered as many of the new Dan Brown book, (published in September) than a rival shopping mall outlet nearby.' . Unbelieveabubble. The future's so bright I'll have to buy shades. Fewer booksellers, fewer titles arriving on time. Discover something new. And that discovery? That without a decent number of booksellers on the shop floor and books to sell, the tills will stop ringing. I think I'll become a management consultant.