For months, publishers have become increasingly concerned about the health of physical bookstores, where traffic has declined as the book business continues to shift online.
But if the major discoveries of the graphic novel's new world of the imagination have already been accomplished, its colonizing of the territory, like its threat to foot traffic in bookstore aisles, has only just begun.
Mr. Crichton's publication day comes at the last possible moment to exploit the full month of increased traffic in bookstores during the Christmas season.
Declining traffic in bookstores has forced publishers to look for other locations, so the authors who do go on tour often appear in grocery stores and casinos, at corporations and discount retailers, all in an effort to find potential book buyers where they shop and work.
To that end, the traffic inside the Butler bookstore had been bumper-to-bumper, said Janine Frainier, the store's manager.
Players and coaches were besieged with congratulatory messages, and officials from both universities described spiked traffic across Web sites, bookstores and admission offices.
But more, too: scattered among the halls, adding urban texture and pedestrian traffic, a collection of bookstores, art galleries, record shops and other businesses connected to the arts.
Many analysts also want to see Starbucks slow the growth of its licensed stores, which appear in bookstores and supermarkets and which can siphon traffic from more profitable company-owned locations.
Washington Heights, after all, is home to a hip volunteer-run community bookstore that was born out of a heavily trafficked pop-up shop.
Make sure your bookstore is located in an area with a lot of pedestrian traffic, if possible.
