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Marketing in the big chain bookstores
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From: Itsillustration_at_aol.com <Itsillustration>
Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2005 15:34:55 EST
Could you explain further please about all spots being paid for? Is every display or outward facing book a result of publisher influence/cash?
I shouldn't have said EVERY spot is paid for, because that's not true. There are tables and endcaps that booksellers can play with, here and there. I'd say that MOST spots are paid for. Most books that are faced out or are on display are paid for. Of course, I'm not an expert on this, so if I'm wrong publishers -- please correct me! I don't have a problem w/that really, because it's all part of the game. I do have a problem w/B&N publishing its own books at a high discount and using up much of the display space, but that's another story.
I don't mean to bash B&N. They're my employer, so I can't complain. B&N does a lot of great things such as host author events and so on. In fact, if a local author waltzed into the store and asked if we'd host a book event for them, we'd probably do it... and order a large quantity of their books to boot. A while back, the store manager allowed a self published author to host an event. He made up a bar code to stick on the back of her stapled-together, paperback picture book. It was the worst book I had ever seen. The artwork looked like a 2 yr. old did it. The story was rambling and atrocious. But the giant bookstore, composed of 4 sprawling floors, sold her book for the day anyway ... because she asked (sadly, she only sold one copy).
I'm also willing to bet that B&N will display anything for the right price. So if an author's book isn't getting much attention at a bookchain, they shouldn't go complaining to the store, but rather to their publisher... OR hope to win the Newbery/ Caldecott! And of course, if an author came in and asked if they could sign copies of their books, any store would probably display the signed copies... at least for a little while.
Now I MUST get my real writing finished! I'm the queen of procrastination.
meghan
Received on Thu 20 Jan 2005 02:34:55 PM CST
Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2005 15:34:55 EST
Could you explain further please about all spots being paid for? Is every display or outward facing book a result of publisher influence/cash?
I shouldn't have said EVERY spot is paid for, because that's not true. There are tables and endcaps that booksellers can play with, here and there. I'd say that MOST spots are paid for. Most books that are faced out or are on display are paid for. Of course, I'm not an expert on this, so if I'm wrong publishers -- please correct me! I don't have a problem w/that really, because it's all part of the game. I do have a problem w/B&N publishing its own books at a high discount and using up much of the display space, but that's another story.
I don't mean to bash B&N. They're my employer, so I can't complain. B&N does a lot of great things such as host author events and so on. In fact, if a local author waltzed into the store and asked if we'd host a book event for them, we'd probably do it... and order a large quantity of their books to boot. A while back, the store manager allowed a self published author to host an event. He made up a bar code to stick on the back of her stapled-together, paperback picture book. It was the worst book I had ever seen. The artwork looked like a 2 yr. old did it. The story was rambling and atrocious. But the giant bookstore, composed of 4 sprawling floors, sold her book for the day anyway ... because she asked (sadly, she only sold one copy).
I'm also willing to bet that B&N will display anything for the right price. So if an author's book isn't getting much attention at a bookchain, they shouldn't go complaining to the store, but rather to their publisher... OR hope to win the Newbery/ Caldecott! And of course, if an author came in and asked if they could sign copies of their books, any store would probably display the signed copies... at least for a little while.
Now I MUST get my real writing finished! I'm the queen of procrastination.
meghan
Received on Thu 20 Jan 2005 02:34:55 PM CST
