New Name for Warner Books

The International Herald Tribune has a story about Warner Books changing its name to ... wait for it ... Grand Central Publishing. As brand/identity decisions go, this seems like a poor one to me. The name sounds like either a speciality press for train fanciers or a small publisher trying to sound like a big one. Other than Grand Central Station - which means these people have been in Manhattan way too long - what is the association supposed to be for most readers and retailers? Not that it necessarily means that much for the consumer. I've long believed that no one, but no one buys a book because of the company that published it. If it's well produced and the title and content grab you, who cares about the name of the faceless corporation getting your money? And if managers have little enough to do to make important choosing a name that customers don't and won't care aboutthe name is important, well, Hachette Book Group USA (American arm of the French book publisher Hachette Livre - book en Français) also owns Little Brown. Why not just use an established brand? Just think of all the money saved in unnecessary consultant fees.