My email inbox this morning had the usual weekday email from Publishers Weekly, and it was chock full of news from the two largest booksellers in the US, Borders and Barnes & Noble. Now that the holidays are over and we are into 2009, many in the retail industry are probably taking stock of the dismal holiday shopping season and going into "survival mode" for the foreseeable future.

Let’s start with Borders first. It appears from this article that the struggling retail chain will be getting some new blood in management:

With its stock price trading below 50 cents and holiday sales down by double-digits, the Borders Group’s board of directors has replaced CEO George Jones with Ron Marshall, a retailing veteran whose background includes overseeing the turnaround of Pathmark and the Nash Finch Company. Marshall also held management positions with Crown Books and Barnes & Noble college stores.

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I have always been told, no matter I do in life, to never put all my eggs in one basket. This applies mostly to investing money (something I do very little of), but can also apply to jobs, hobbies and many other facets of life – even writing! I always hear that writers should write a variety of material to keep their minds fresh, but also so they don’t become dependent on one particular genre or one particular market.

The publishing industry, on the other hand, must have been "on vacation" the day they taught the lesson on not putting all your eggs into one basket. At least, that is what this article from the Wall Street Journal appears to suggest.

The worry is that such big-name titles represent only 20% of total retail sales, says New York literary agent Laurence Kirshbaum. Unless readers also embrace mysteries, romance novels and other genres, the literary landscape may grow much darker. "You can’t have a party only with hors d’oeuvres, you need the whole meal," he says.

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Now that the holidays are over and we are a few days into the new year, it’s time to sit down and get to work! For me, that means laying out a few goals for this blog for 2009. I decided to share them with you so that you will know what to expect from Brad’s Reader this year, and also to keep me more accountable for working hard to follow through with these goals.

Here are my goals for Brad’s Reader in no particular order:

1. Major blog overhaul. This includes a re-design of the blog and also a possible switch to a new platform, one that’s more flexible.

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Now that 2009 is here, we can finally get down to business and set some goals for this new year. One of my upcoming posts will be laying out my goals for Brad’s Reader in 2009. Some changes are small and have started to be implemented. Others goals are much larger and will take more time. Either way, 2009 will be a big year for Brad’s Reader and I hope you stick around to see these exciting changes unfold.

With that said, it’s Friday, and it’s also the first Friday Link Love installment of the new year. The holidays are officially over and most people go back to their regular lives. I’m actually happy about this because I tend to thrive on normalcy and routine – the holidays upset that delicate balance.

Many of you will be using this weekend to get ready to go back to work, school or whatever it is that you do. At the very least, try to cram some last minute relaxing and fun into the weekend to try and "ease" yourself back into the normal routines of life.

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I just want to wish everyone out there on the inter-tubes a Happy New Year! I hope 2009 brings you all joy and success! And I feel honored that you are reading my first blog post of 2009.

My hopes for the New Year are high and I’ve set some pretty lofty goals for myself (I don’t call them resolutions, I call them goals – but that’s another post for another day). I definitely want to write more and improve my writing. I’d also like to increase the number of freelance projects I take on.

What are your goals for 2009? Let us know in the comments below!

Have a safe and happy New Year!