Baker & Taylor to Close After 200 Years in the Book Business
Baker & Taylor, one of the longest-running and most influential names in the book industry, will be shutting down its operations by January 1, 2026. The closure comes after a proposed sale of the company’s assets to Readerlink collapsed last month, leaving no viable path forward for the century-old distributor.
Sudden Layoffs and Wind-Down
Employees were notified on Tuesday that all positions would be eliminated. According to local reports in Illinois, 253 of the 318 staff members at B&T’s massive 379,000-square-foot Momence distribution center were terminated immediately. A small group of 62 employees will remain to help wind down operations through late December, with the final three departing on January 3.
The Illinois Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act filing confirmed the reason for the closure: the failed Readerlink acquisition. The sale, had it gone through, would have preserved jobs and allowed operations to continue. Without it, the company was unable to find an alternative solution.
A Legacy Supplier to Libraries
Headquartered in Charlotte, NC, Baker & Taylor has been a cornerstone of the book world for more than 200 years. It was the largest supplier of physical materials to libraries across the United States, known for serving as a crucial bridge between publishers and communities.
In addition to library services, B&T Publisher Services provided distribution for more than 250 small and independent presses. This loss compounds an already difficult year for small publishers, following the recent shutdown of Small Press Distribution. Many independent authors and presses are now scrambling to find new ways to get their books into readers’ hands.
An Industry Feels the Loss
For librarians, independent publishers, and authors alike, Baker & Taylor’s closure represents more than just another business shutting its doors—it’s the loss of a trusted partner that helped shape how books reached communities large and small.
As one former employee wrote online, “It’s not just a job that’s ending, it’s an institution. We helped keep libraries alive.”
While the company itself has not issued a public statement, the silence leaves a void almost as heavy as the closure itself. For an industry already navigating rapid change, the fall of Baker & Taylor is both a practical blow and a symbolic reminder of the fragility of even the most established book networks.