The book business is in turmoil of late, pundits questioning the fate of not just independents—or for that matter bricks and mortar bookstores altogether—but also of the book itself. This panic has been occasioned by the dawn of e-books of course, as their sales increase exponentially and the hype swirls in their wake. But whatever turns this business takes, whatever forms books themselves take, independent bookstores will be needed in whatever form we take, however we choose to reinvent ourselves, 
as we have again and again to meet the unending threats of past decades. Why so? Because our role is essential. We are the ones who read voraciously, unceasingly, looking for and finding those rare (but ever-present) books that make readers’ brains sing, and their pulses pound.
Independent bookstores are the curators in this business, the ones who find the gems that make the whole industry work; the ones who showcase those gems, along with the infinite variety of ever-changing titles and never-changing classics that make the book business so magical; the ones who pick through that variety to match books to readers. At The King’s English we are proud to be a small part of all of this, proud to associate with the writers and publishers whose work gives rise to this whole glorious enterprise, of course, but above all else to be one among many of this country’s incredible independent bookstores.
