Folks,
An author friend pointed me to this article: Barnes & Noble SOLD: Goliath has Fallen & What This Means for Writers
Gives a good history of publishing and its impact on authors (and thus, in the end, on readers--but mostly writers at this point), especially in light of Barnes & Noble being purchases (along with all of its debt).
Worth the read...while there might be a glimpse of potential good news, rotten news is nowhere near out of the question...
Give it a read...see what you think.