bookstores
The Scoop on Book Store Real Estate
December 30, 2009
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by Aaron Hierholzer
Last month, Fast Company did a great story on bookstore co-op deals, in which publishers pay booksellers for inclusion on front tables, end caps, face-out placements, etc. So, yes, those books out front at Barnes & Noble are there because someone paid for them to be there, not necessarily because they're the best or most important—although, of course, bookstore buyers only allow placement for books they believe will move. (Also, the two indie booksellers we've asked, BookPeople and Vroman's, say that featured "employee picks," an upaid form of co-op, are completely at the employee and bookseller's discretion.)
It's an interesting negotiation, and as bookstore space shrinks and brick-and-mortar book shoppers dwindle, co-op placement for books becomes increasingly important. Adam L. Penenberg, author of Viral Loop, gives an good overview. Read it here, and have a Happy New Year!
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Big Bad Weekly Tip: What You Can Do To Get Your Book On Shelves
August 21, 2009
by GreenleafBookGroup
It’s more obvious than ever that the publishing industry is changing, and combined with the current retail slump, it is even more difficult to get independent books onto bookstore shelves. However, in addition to keeping your book distributor updated on your upcoming media appearances, there are some other things that you can do as an author to help make headway. One recommendation is to develop a strong following in your local community from which you can expand upon into other markets. Click here for some great tips from Penny Sansevieri, CEO and founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., on how to get in good with your local bookstores.
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Bookstores Beware: Book Buying Scams
November 16, 2006
by Aaron Hierholzer
Shelf Awareness passed on a letter written to them from Carin Siegfried, the Baker & Taylor rep for New England and upstate New York reporting on a new scam hitting several bookstores. Hopefully we can help pass this news to more readers to help make bookstores aware of the problem.
"In the last month or so, I know of three stores hit by those perennial scam artists who call using the TDD operator or e-mail, asking for large quantities of expensive books, using a stolen credit card that initially goes through but later is charged back. These scam artists have gotten smarter, no longer ordering hundreds of bibles but instead ordering 20-30 copies each of three or four different textbook titles. They refuse to give out their phone numbers, and their name does not match the name on the card (which of course one can't determine over the phone or Internet without a call to the credit card company).
Fortunately the three stores caught the scam before shipping out the books, but one had paid for next-day delivery from our West Coast warehouse on some very heavy books and was out a small fortune on freight costs. Two of the booksellers are fairly new store owners, so they hadn't read articles on this topic."
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