Who is killing the book in Japan? That is the provocative question posed by veteran nonfiction writer Shin'ichi Sano in his recent book of the same title ("Dare ga 'hon' o korosu no ka," President Sha, 1,800 yen).
He has several suspects. Could it be the distribution system and bookstores that fail to deliver books one is looking for? Or is it publishers and editors who produce a flood of uninteresting books?
Certainly the publishing industry is hurting, with gross sales of books and magazines down 15 percent over the past four years, returns near 40 percent and bookstores closing at the rate of 1,000 a year.