We’re headed into uncharted waters in gauging the effect of economic crisis on the consumer publishing business, and the Guardian looks for some signs. UK chain Waterstone’s “has seen 200% increases in sales of two titles about keeping chickens in recent weeks.” And Weidenfeld & Nicolson publishing director Alan Samson is looking for threads of string: “Books on saving string, thrift in World War Two – publishers would be well advised to check out their backlist and see if they’ve got these sorts of books.” More broadly, Viking editorial director Joel Rickett says, “We’re thinking more widely about the kind […]