Riggio

Several weeks before Chairman Leonard Riggio sold his latest tranche of shares in Barnes & NobleBKS +2.68%, he sat down for a chat at the retailer's corporate offices in Manhattan.  Here, an edited Q&A:

WSJ: Will we see a smaller, 15,000-square foot Barnes & Noble bookstore one day?

Mr. Riggio: Yes, it's possible. You can't tell yet. Remember we had a really good holiday season. One of the things that you've observed is that it seems like the level of digital convergence from books to digital has decelerated.

Since Barnes & Noble announced that the company is sinking faster than a swimmer with cement shoes, there have been a myriad of articles written on what Mr. Riggio and his golfing buddies should do to right the ship. It's an important question, but possibly the wrong one. Instead of focusing all of our attention on the retail train wreck, we should be working to ensure a long, prosperous future for those most impacted by Barnes & Noble's demise - those who create the books.