Any time I feel completely overwhelmed by the number of books on my "want to read" list (which is pretty much all the time), I can be made to feel even more woe when forced to think about all of the books of which I'm not even aware that I also would like to read. More and more, it has been shown that this is far from my fault; there are simply too many books published each year.

A story in today's Wall Street Journal (the daily appearance of which on my desk is among the top fringe benefits of this new business editor gig) points out that there are indeed more books published today than ever before, and the publishers are paying a price. In 2003, they write, 34 percent of adult hardcover books were returned to publishers. That compares with 28 percent in 1993. So, think of it this way: one in three books that are printed end up right back where they started. This is a bit different than taking a look at the number of titles issued each year; instead, it looks at the sheer volume and takes into account both titles and copies of each. Still, that is clearly an oversaturation of the market, and a sign of an industry floundering about in search of a hit. Surely a bit more quality control on the front end would help to alleviate some of the pain on the back end, never mind the impact it would have on those of us who constantly add to that ever-lengthening wishlist with no hope of ever putting much of a dent in it.