Seriously, hats off to all of our entrants for this month. We received some really great stories, which of course, made judging very difficult. I’d really like to encourage you guys to continue submitting stories every month, because so many of you have awesome talent. In fact, I might crumble later this week and post our runner-up story because I enjoyed it so much. Keep your eyes peeled.

In the end, we chose the winner for this month based on its authenticity and ability to relate to an audience. To put it shortly, it’s “real.” I’m a sucker for a simple concept that speaks volumes, and this story really did it.

The winner for the October 2011 Writing Contest is:

Dana Bartley from Peekskill, NY!

Dana Bartley, 32 years old, wears many hats. She is a home care aide, daughter, sister, aunt, and friend. In her spare time, she enjoys writing, horseback riding and trying new activities. In the future, she hopes to start her own blog for empowering women.

On behalf of Vasz Books, we hope that you love this story.

Tales from the Kitchen

I’m in the kitchen, where you always jokingly say I belong. You should be home any minute now, and my anticipation is growing.

In our home, I’ve painted a picture-perfect representation of paradise. There’s a cherry pie resting in the windowsill. When you step out of your car, I want you to know—with all of your senses—that I’ve been home thinking of you. I’ve tidied up the room, and laid out the sports section on the table at your seat. Next to the paper, I place a glass of water. You’re always thirsty when you get home.

Click, click, click. I turn the stove on to prepare our dinner. Fatty, marbled, seared Ribeye: your favorite. Mine too. I start the pan with a dash of red wine to create a glaze. Today is a special day, even though you think it’s any old day. Unfortunately, I ruin the moment as soon as you step into the house by burning my finger on the pan. You tell me to run it under the water, and it will make me feel better.

I found this really interesting commentary about The Lion King, and it gave me an idea that I think will challenge us all to dive deep into writing:

Water is a strong motif throughout [The Lion King].  Scar consistently tries to place Simba in waterless places to kill him.  Instead of going to the watering hole, Simba goes to the Elephant Graveyard and is nearly eaten by hyenas.  When he goes to the gorge, a place that once held water but no longer does, he is nearly killed by the stampede.  At last Simba collapses in a wasteland where the earth is hard and cracked from the arid climate.  Water is a symbol of life, a vital component of any creature’s survival.

October 2011 Writing Contest

Theme: Using water as a symbol

Goal: Write a flash nonfiction story (500 words or less) that incorporates water as a symbol. Common symbolism for water includes: new life, regeneration, washing away of guilt, and cleansing. You can use one of these or come up with your own interpretation. Also, submit a flash bio (50 words or less) about yourself.

Deadline: All entries must be received by Wednesday, October 19, 2011 at 11:59 EST.

Prize: Your bio and story will be featured on our WordPress as our winner for the month. Our winner will also receive a personal critique and an official letter of recognition. Plus, it’s just awesome to tell people about.

Rules: One entry per person, per month. Must subscribe to the Vasz Books WordPress to be eligible.

After last month’s contest’s success, this will definitely be an ongoing part of Vasz Books.  We will follow this format:

New contest posted on the first Wednesday of the month
Deadline on the third Wednesday of the month
Winner posted on the fourth Wednesday of the month

There is no entry fee, and absolutely no risk in getting involved. It’s great exposure and a great way to encourage ourselves to write. This is an excellent opportunity to try something new or keep up with your writing.

Use the following format to submit:

Subject: October 2011 – (your story title here)
Name
WordPress username
Bio
Story

Please send entries to SarahJaneofVasz@gmail.com.
I’ll be getting an official email soon, so keep an eye out for a change of submission email address next month.
Also, feel free to send me ideas of themes you would like to see in upcoming contests.
As always, happy reading and writing!

The Vasz Books writing contest winner for September is:

Michael Hanton, of Barrie, Ontario!

Michael Hanton, 19 years old, is currently working toward his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications with a minor in Philosophy.  He attends Niagara University, where he also participates in the Men’s Soccer Team.  In the future, Michael wishes to pursue a career in personal injury law.

On behalf of Vasz Books, we hope that you all enjoy this story as much as we do.

Opinion of Life

“There’s no point in dwelling on what we can’t change. There comes a time when you just have to accept life for what it is, and make the most out of it.”

-Patricia Hanton

Life is what we make it.  It always has been, and always will be—this I have learned to be true.
My mom is one of the strongest people I know. She’s been dealt a bad card for the majority of her life, but she doesn’t let it get the best of her.

Growing up, she was always an active person.

sports—she played them all
an active social butterfly—
not much of a drinker but one helluva dancer
and always a diligent worker—
either as a flight attendant flying overseas
or working as a dental hygienist
firmly planted on the ground.

Realistically, she was the worst person to suffer 9 car accidents in as many years—never being in the wrong with any of them. The once energetic go-getter is now confined to the restrictions of walking with a cane—

“I’m already limited enough, there’s no way in hell I’m being pushed around in a chair all day, too,”

she insisted as she turned down the option for a wheelchair.

Not only was her life turned upside down, but our entire family’s dynamic was, as well. As much as she tried to keep things normal for my two brothers and myself, there was an obvious change in the way we functioned. Family ski nights no longer included the whole family. Out of necessity, dad started working two jobs. The chores and responsibilities of two adults were then placed on three kids, in order to pick up the slack around the house.

Despite her warranted inability to maintain the household we once had, my mom did everything in her power to keep things normal.

“No, I can do the laundry, it’s one of the only things I still can do,”

she would say as we attempted to help out. Normal, everyday tasks became a struggle for her. Still, we never heard a complaint.

The way I see it, my mom could have accepted her disability and permanent handicap one of two ways: She could give up, become a vegetable on the couch and be waited on by my brothers and myself. Or she could fight.

Fight through the handicap.

Fight through recurring night terrors of the accidents.

Fight through the exhausting appointments all across hell’s half-acre.

She chose to fight.

She chose not to accept what she had become, but to maintain what she was with a slight difference.

Unknowingly, my mom has taught me a lesson of life, courage and success. I have learned that life is what we make it. It always has been, and it always will be.

My mom is a fighter, and she doesn’t let circumstances change that.
She still does all of our laundry, even though it’s a struggle.
She has, after years of rehab and mental improvement, started driving again.
She is still one of the most socially active people I have ever met.

And she’s still the first one on the dance floor.

Inquiring minds want to know: How do I submit a manuscript to Vasz Books?

First and foremost, we want to point out that yes, we accept unsolicited manuscripts.  What this means for us:

• No, you do not need an agent.
• Unsolicited does not mean an email with a “Here ya go, thanks!” and a massive attachment of your entire story.  Quite frankly, it might not get read.

Our guidelines are arranged into two different formats: print and digital. Please keep in mind that although digital makes it easier to submit a manuscript (no worries about the SASE, for example), we still expect digital submissions to be well-organized and professional.

Digital submissions:Send digital submissions to: info@vaszbooks.com Subject:  Attn: (Last Name/Book Title) – (Date)

• Keep your email formal and professional.  No net speak, no spam — treat it like you would treat an interview. In a lot of ways, it is.
• In your email, say something introductory about yourself.  Tell us who you are, what you’ve done, why we should care, etc.  Believe it or not, people care about the author as much as the story when it comes to nonfiction.
• Submit two to three chapters.  Please do not submit your entire book.
• Include a query letter.  Reference the guide below for expectations.
• Also include what we like to call the “closer.”  Just like a closer for a baseball game, this part of your manuscript should really seal the deal.  Reference the guide for your closer below to learn more.
• Number your pages.
• Make sure that there is a header on every page of your excerpt with your last name and title of your work.
• One inch margins, double-spaced, and indent the first line of your paragraphs.
• Type in a clear, single 12-point font (i.e.: Garamond, Times New Roman, etc.).
• Chapters should be centered, bold, and upper-cased.
• We will always send confirmation that we have received your manuscript.  Allow 7-14 days to get confirmation, and about 4-6 weeks to get feedback.

Print submissions: Note: We always recommend sending an introductory email before sending your submission, just to create a formal relationship and make sure we’re on the same page.  Tell us about yourself, and give a quick 4-5 sentence snapshot of your story.  That way, we’ll be able to tell you upfront if it sounds like something that we’d be looking for before you actually send it. Send print submissions to: Vasz Books 129 Park Hill Avenue Suite 200 Yonkers, NY 10701 RE: (insert Author/Book Title here)

• If you’d like your manuscript returned to you, include a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
• If you haven’t submitted an introductory email, include background on who you are, what you’ve done, and why it matters.
• Similar to the digital submissions, we expect a query letter and a closer. See below for my guidelines.
• Your manuscript should be placed in a two-pocket folder.  Please arrange the manuscript in the right pocket, and the query letter/closer in the left pocket.
• Submit two to three chapters.
• Number your pages.
• Do not staple your manuscript.
• Make sure that there is a header on every page of your excerpt with your last name and title of your work.
• One inch margins, double-spaced, and indent the first line of your paragraphs.
• Type in a clear, single 12-point font.
• Chapters should be centered, bold, and upper-cased.

Regarding Query Letters:

• Your letter should be no longer than 2 pages.  That doesn’t give you a whole lot of space to “do your thing,” so make every word count.
• Take this as a warning: if we have to keep asking ourselves “So what?” throughout your query letter, we’ll lose interest really quickly.  Sad, but true. Defend your arguments and back up your claims!
• Double-spaced, one-inch margins, single 12-point font–same as the submissions.  Use a block letter format.
• Include:

1. An overview of your story.  Get creative–don’t just send a synopsis.  Talk about why it’s relevant to readers, why it’s a message that needs to be spread, why you wrote the story in the first place.  In other words, pump us up for what we’re about to read.  However, keep in mind that there’s a fine line between sounding passionate and sounding like an excited puppy.  Aim for passionate.
2. This is the thing that most writers will fail to do: Do market research, and include a thorough analysis of it in your letter.  If your book is about your struggles as a single teenage mother, the worst thing that you can do (besides to leave out market information completely) is to say: People would read this book because people like to read about how others overcome hardships.  While that may be true, it is way too broad and it comes across as you being either lazy or naive.  People pay their hard-earned money to buy a book, and invest their valuable time to read it–How will you convince them to take a chance on you?
3. Continuing number 2, use numbers and marketing plans to your advantage.  Staying with our example, you could say that over 900,000 teenagers get pregnant in the US every year, with over 90% of those teenage girls getting abandoned by the child’s father.  Maybe you have plans to contact local facilities for women’s health or high schools and do lectures about raising awareness for teenage pregnancy with the promotion of your book.  My point is, have a thought-out, specific business plan in mind, and show me how you’re going to help us sell this book.  Show us why taking a risk with you is going to pay off.  This is a business, after all.

Regarding the Closer:Within your closer, please include:

• A works cited page in MLA format.
• Approximate number of words for your finished project.
• About how long you would need to complete the book.
• An outline of the remaining chapters of your story with a brief (3-4 sentences) synopsis of the narrative arc for each chapter.

And there you have it.  If there’s anything we left out or if you have additional questions, email us at info@vaszbooks.com, or simply leave a comment. We’re looking forward to your submissions.

-Pablo Neruda

With the contest in full swing, there is always something exciting going on with Vasz Books!  Keep your eyes peeled for an updated website coming in the next few days, too: http://www.vaszbooks.com

Over the past couple of days, I’ve been noticing how fantastic Yonkers is.  We have a great blend of people from different walks of life, amazing food, and a happenin’ music scene.  To say that we’ve been the home of such great talent as Steven Tyler, Mary J. Blige, Jon Voight, and my favorite, Ella Fitzgerald…that blows my mind.   Such a culturally rich town must be a great place for a publishing company.  After all, everyone here has a story to tell.

Which leads me to my next question:  how do you prefer to tell your stories?

Do you like to write them down, type it out, speak it to someone, paint a picture, sand art?  Are you more of a story teller or listener?  I have to admit, I like to tell stories, but I really love listening to stories.  I can’t help it–people are just so interesting.  Anyways, food for thought on this lovely Friday.  I love that pretty much no matter what age you are, weekends are still a thing of beauty (unless you work retail like I used to–retail workers have a completely different opinion of the weekends!).

I hope everyone’s weekends are off to a great start! Keep those contest entries coming!

-Sarah-Jane

P.S.: As if my week hasn’t already been exciting enough, keep your eyes peeled for my official Vasz Books email address coming soon!  It’d be stellar to communicate one-on-one with all of you lovely people.

If you haven’t heard about our latest release, what are you waiting for?
Check it out here.

September 2011 Writing Contest

• Theme:  What do you believe in?
• Goal:  Write a flash nonfiction story (500 words or less) about something that you believe in.  It can be religious, cultural, a lesson learned, personal, etc.  As long as you believe in it.  Also, submit a flash bio (50 words or less) about yourself.
• Deadline:  All entries must be received by Wednesday, September 21st, 2011 at 11:59 EST.
• Prize:  Your bio and story will be featured on our WordPress as our winner for the month.  You’ll also receive bright and shiny bragging rights (we all love that, right?).  In addition, our winner will receive a personal critique as well as an official letter of recognition.
• Rules:  One entry per person, per month. Must subscribe to the Vasz Books WordPress to be eligible.

If this contest catches on, we will be hosting it regularly using the following timeline:

• New contest posted on the first Wednesday of the month
• Deadline on the third Wednesday of the month
• Winner posted on the fourth Wednesday of the month

There is no entry fee, and absolutely no risk in getting involved.  It’s great exposure and a great way to encourage ourselves to write (I’m a writer too–I know we love to procrastinate).  This is an excellent opportunity to try something new or keep up with your writing.

Use the following format to submit:

• Subject:  September 2011 – (your story title here)
• Name
• WordPress username
• Bio
• Story

Please send entries to SarahJaneofVasz@gmail.com.
Also, feel free to send me ideas of themes you would like to see in upcoming contests.
As always, happy reading and writing!

Why is this book so important? To start, the book is perfect not only for the people involve with the church or Catholic organization, but also for those interested in learning the thoughts of one of the most popular priest in history, Oscar Romero. The book brings you back to the time of his Vatican visit during World War II, when he’s going thru the priesthood process. His notes on his journal provides us with the proof that he was a person of character, a person of goodness and a priest that gave his all to the people of El Salvador.

Mons Jesus Delgado projects the most vivid example of Oscar Romero’s early life, the strong beliefs and journey thru his priesthood.

For more information about ¡Asi Tenia Que Morir Sacerdote¡ and how to order your copy, visit VaszBooks.com

New Book: Asi tenia que morir: ¡Sacerdote!

New York, NY – (VB) Vasz Books Publisher is excited to introduced everyone their latest author to join their book publisher, Mons. Jesus Delgado. Mons. Delgado is a vicar of the Archdioceses of San Salvador in El Salvador and the author of Mons. Romero’s autobiography, as well as his latest published book about Mons. Romero’s journal of his early priesthood, “Asi Tenia que Morir: ¡Sacerdote!“, translated in English means, ” That’s how he had to Die: ¡Priest!” The book has been a huge success in El Salvador, more than 5,000 copies sold on its first months of its released.

Vasz Books Publisher Reaching a Milestone

Vasz Books Publisher has the rights for publishing and distributing the book, Asi Tenia que Morir: ¡Sacerdote!, in the United States and the rest of the world in the Spanish version and in all the languages of the world. We are looking to increase the distribution to a local level as well as International. There are millions of people around the world and Salvadoran’s living outside of El Salvador that are interested and fascinated about Mons. Romero’s life story. In 1997, a cause for beatification and canonization into sainthood was opened for Romero, and Pope John Paul II bestowed upon him the title of Servant of God. The book is expected to be released on August, 2011.

Who Was Oscar Romero?

Mons. Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez was born on 15 August 1917, to Santos Romero and Guadalupe de Jésus Galdámez in Ciudad Barrios.

Coat of Arms of bishop Óscar A. Romero

On 11 May, 1919, at the age of one, Óscar was baptised into the Catholic Church by Fr. Cecilio Morales. Romero had 5 brothers and 2 sisters: Gustavo, Zaída, Rómulo, Mamerto, Arnoldo and Gaspar, and Aminta (who died shortly after birth.)

He could often be found at one of the town’s two churches during his free time. At age seven Romero came down with an unknown life-threatening illness, from which he eventually recovered.

Romero entered (government funded) Public school, which only offered grades one through three. When finished with public school, Romero was privately tutored by Anita Iglesias till the age of thirteen. Throughout this time Óscar’s father, Santos, had been training Romero in carpentry. Romero showed exceptional proficiency as an apprentice. Santos wanted to offer his son the skill of a trade, because in El Salvador studies seldom led to employment.

Romero was shot on 24 March 1980, while celebrating Mass at a small chapel located in a hospital called “La Divina Providencia”, one day after a sermon where he had called on Salvadoran soldiers, as Christians, to obey God’s higher order and to stop carrying out the government’s repression and violations of basic human rights. According to an audio-recording of the Mass, he was shot while elevating the chalice at the end of the Eucharistic rite. When he was shot, his blood spilled over the altar along with the contents of the chalice. Learn More at (wikipedia)

Google has just acquired eBook Technologies, according to a notice that is currently appearing on the company’s homepage.

Google confirmed the acquisition, with a spokesperson giving us this statement:

“We are happy to welcome eBook Technologies’ team to Google. Together, we hope to deliver richer reading experiences on tablets, electronic readers and other portable devices.”

So what exactly is eBook Technologies? Details on the homepage are scant — the site just has a banner that says, “eBook Technologies supplies a family of intelligent reading devices and licenses technologies that enable automated publishing and control over content distribution.” Most links on the site, including the Product page, just redirect to this homepage. However, a little digging through Google’s Cache reveals more details.

Note that it’s unclear which of these technologies Google intends to use, but it could clearly take advantage of them to bolster its Google Books product, which recently launched its eBook store.

A device page makes references to hardware that the company developed, but it seems out of date, with one product making its debut in 2007. It seems more likely that Google is after the company for its distribution technology, which is outlined on a cached Products page:

The eBook Technologies, Inc. (“ETI”) platform consists of four parts: electronic reading devices (eBook devices) plus their associated UI firmware technology, the “Online Bookshelf”, an Internet-based content sales and delivery system (the eBookstore), and eBook content conversion / publication tools.

…(vague language about eBook readers in general)…

Device designs include intuitive controls for managing familiar reading functions including: turning pages, searching through texts, marking up text, and looking up definitions. These “paper book” functions are enhanced by technology: i.e. searching is instantaneous, text mark-ups can be “written” directly on the touch-sensitive screen, marked up text can be erased, and definitions are automatically indexed against a virtual dictionary. The ETI reading device family current includes two models. The ETI-1 has an 8.5” diagonal, full VGA color screen device, Compact Flash® memory, 56K modem and an Ethernet port. The ETI-2 has a half-VGA 5.5” grayscale screen with 8MB internal memory and SmartMedia® card extension, a 33.6K modem and a USB port.

The core underlying firmware used in ETI’s eBook device technology is available for license. It consists of the following components: an embedded operating system, a file system, networking infrastructure, a graphics subsystem and most importantly the intuitive ETI reading experience layer. Heavy use of a book metaphor avoids computer-centric interactions throughout the UI, reinforcing the immersive quality of reading and replicating it uncompromisingly within ETI reading devices.

A key feature of the eBook platform and, a breakthrough for both avid readers and professional customers, is the ability to purchase and/or access reading materials anywhere and at any time. Instantaneous access to content is enabled through a built-in modem, USB, or Ethernet connection on the eBook device. Once connected to the ETI eBook Network via the Internet, customers can browse, select, access and optionally purchase eBook content from an eBookstore. In consumer deployments customers can also retrieve any recently or previously purchased content from their own personal “Online Bookshelf”. Content retrieved from the “Online Bookshelf” is downloaded to the ETI device which can then be read off-line. Content is delivered in a secure format that can only be decrypted by the specified ETI eBook device. Any proprietary user information, such as credit card and contact information, is securely maintained by the eBook Network.

The ETI eBook Express Manager provides enterprise customers with the core elements of the eBook Network that enable an enterprise to centrally manage the delivery, access, and updating of enterprise content to individual or groups of eBook users. Individual eBook devices can be centrally administered and all content transfers and updates are easily audited.

ETI eBookstore

The eBookstore is a sophisticated ecommerce system for the marketing, sale, and distribution of digital content to eBook customers. With relationships with over two dozen major publishers, the eBookstore is considered one of the leading providers of national bestsellers, popular periodicals, and major newspapers. Also, the eBookstore allows customers to browse, select, and purchase content either directly through an eBook device, a web browser from an Internet-connected PC, an offline Catalog, or through an alternate web e-tailer.

For more detailed information on ETI Network Services and the ETI eBookstore click here.

Content Conversion and Publication Tools

The ETI eBook format is based on an industry standard XML-based markup format (the Open eBook Standard) that ETI founders helped to pioneer. This format is the source format used by most ebook reading systems (for example, Microsoft, Palm and MobiPocket).

ETI offers a content creation and preview tool, to convert existing content and documents into the ETI eBook format. The software runs on Windows and Macintosh desktop systems and is capable of processing text, generic Open eBook texts and Microsoft Word files into device-specific ETI eBook titles. Automated scripts allow for daily, weekly or monthly download to ETI eBook devices as soon as the data is available from the content purveyor.

A server-side component of the ETI publishing tool, provides pagination, compression and encryption functions.

Here’s the note about the acquisition on the homepage:

eBook Technologies, Inc. is excited to announce that we have been acquired by Google. Working together with Google will further our commitment to providing a first-class reading experience on emerging tablets, e-readers and other portable devices.

Why Barnes & Noble Is Thumping Borders

Rick Newman, On Monday January 10, 2011, 12:47 pm EST

Some corporate battles go on for years, with titans vying for dominance in endurance races where the lead can routinely change hands: Apple v. Microsoft. Dell v. HP. Boeing v. Airbus.

But other battles are more like a war of attrition, an all-or-nothing fight with the spoils going to the last man standing. That may be the kind of struggle that Borders Group and its main rival, Barnes & Noble, are locked into. The book business, of course, is rapidly changing, thanks to the same digital technology that has transformed the music, news, travel, and entertainment industries. That has left the big, traditional booksellers fighting to stay in business–with Barnes and Noble now starting to look like a lone survivor. Both big retail chains struggled during the recession, closing stores, revamping their strategies, and enhancing their digital offerings. Barnes and Noble now seems to be rebounding, with a surge in retail and online sales during the December holiday season. December 23, in fact, was the biggest sales day ever for the nation’s largest bookstore chain.

Borders, however, is starting to look like the next casualty of the digital revolution. The chain didn’t report holiday results, but a long slide in sales has forced Borders to delay payments to the publishers that supply its books, and the company has warned that it may face a “liquidity shortfall” within a couple months if it can’t restructure its debt and get some relief from lenders. The departure of several top executives in recent months has added to the turmoil. Borders insists that it’s focused on refinancing, not bankruptcy, but analysts are already gaming out a Chapter 11 scenario. “There’s a decent chance of a Chapter 11 filing,” says John Pottow, a law professor and bankruptcy expert at the University of Michigan Law School. “As for Borders remaining a standalone company, I’d bet against that.”

If it happens, Borders stores won’t necessarily go away, and the chain will likely continue to honor gift cards and other obligations to customers. Many retail chains–including Blockbuster, Loehmann’s, A&P, Uno Restaurant Holdings, and Jennifer Convertibles–have declared bankruptcy over the last 12 months, and continued to operate more or less normally while reorganizing their finances. If Borders files, it could be a chance to shed debt, shrink to a more manageable size, and start over. Or, Borders could end up merging with Barnes & Noble, a possibility its management has publicly expressed interest in. Customers might not even notice a difference. “A Chapter 11 reorganization should have no major impact on consumers,” says Pottow. “It’s not like people stopped buying General Motors or Chrysler cars when they declared bankruptcy, or stopped flying on United or U.S. Airways.

Still, Borders’ precarious position is yet another example of the wrenching change that has wracked the economy and upended entire industries over the last few years. Here’s how Borders got into trouble:

It opened too many stores. Borders, the No. 2 book chain behind B&N, has closed more than 200 stores since 2008, most of them under its Waldenbooks brand. That leaves Borders with 508 superstores and about 175 smaller outlets. Yet with consumers buying more and more books online, some analysts think the top two chains still have too much real estate. That’s one reason Borders mounted an effort late last year to buy Barnes & Noble and combine operations, an initiative that drew skepticism from analysts. “We struggle to see the value of combining two over-stored retailers, as that will not solve the over-stored problem,” wrote analyst Gary Balter of CreditSuisse. “It will just compound their problems.”

B&N has been closing stores too, including the complete wind-down of its B. Dalton chain. But with a bigger footprint, sounder finances, and rebounding sales, Barnes & Noble is in a better position to streamline. And if a merger of the two chains would lead to a significant consolidation of overlapping stores, that might produce a single healthy bookseller. Balter now sees B&N as a beneficiary of Borders’ woes, since it’s in a position to gain business from its struggling rival. And if Borders were to declare bankruptcy, Balter thinks B&N could buy some of its stores at a discount and score 20 to 50 percent of Borders’ business. That’s one reason he upgraded the outlook for B&N’s stock in early January.

Borders went digital too late. Both chains fell way behind Amazon, which started selling books online more than a decade before either retailer mounted a significant website of its own. But Barnes & Noble has made an impressive effort to catch up, offering its own Nook E-reader in 2009 to compete with Amazon’s Kindle and other similar devices. That was a big factor in strong holiday sales. And Barnes & Noble’s website offers a whole range of periodicals and other products, making it one of the largest digital newsstands on the Web.

Borders has ramped up its digital offerings too, but instead of investing in its own E-reader, it has relied on devices like the Kobo and Cruz that are less popular than the Nook or Kindle. And Borders has put more emphasis on fixing its finances and improving the in-store experience for shoppers than on becoming a premiere digital destination. That puts Borders in a position similar to Blockbuster, which relied too heavily on expensive retail outlets, failed to keep up with competitors like Netflix and Redbox, and declared bankruptcy last year. Blockbuster is attempting a comeback, but it’s now way behind Netflix in a business that requires constant innovation and ruthless cost-cutting. Like Blockbuster, Borders risks becoming a digital also-ran known more for copying competitors’ moves than for developing its own cutting-edge offerings.

It fell behind on debt. Many companies carrying debt got into a bind during the recession as plunging sales generated a cash-flow shortage that left them unable to make scheduled payments to lenders. Borders has already restructured its finances twice since 2008, and sold some of its assets to pay down about $350 million in debt. Yet the company has lost money for four straight years, and 2011 isn’t looking any better. Standard and Poor’s predicts that Borders’ results in the current fiscal year will be even worse than in 2010, and current efforts to refinance debt might intensify financial pressure on the company. “We expect terms to be onerous if the refinancing is successful,” wrote S&P analyst Michael Souers in a recent research note. “Longer term, we foresee an ultra-competitive landscape offering razor-thin margins.”

It might all sound grim to book lovers who revel in the thousands of titles piled high and low in their favorite superstore. But books have survived every retail transformation so far, and they’ll still line the shelves somewhere once Borders’ future becomes clearer. And if a digital shelf is unsatisfying, there’s always the library.

Twitter: @rickjnewman