Although I don’t generally reprint e-mails, I hear about this often enough that I thought I’d take the opportunity to answer it generally. I doubt the letter writer will mind:
Yesterday, I went to the Sunrise Mall in Massapequa to look for Tong Lashing. When I asked in Waldenbooks about it, the clerk said, “Oh, we only order it on special order.” When I asked why, he replied “Well, they don’t sell as well as his Star Trek books.” I went upstairs to the B. Dalton and got a similar spiel about only ordering it on special order. So my question is… is it better to encourage one of these places to stock your books in the future by placing a special order with them…. or is it better to “punish” them by giving my business to a store that did bother to stock it?
Yes, welcome to the glamorous life of a successful author, where branch buyers and clerks create self-fulfilling prophecies by not ordering or stocking your books and then saying they don’t sell.
As annoying as it may be, the truth is that yes, the only way to encourage stores to carry my books is to special order them, because they keep track of what people order and adjust accordingly. They can’t keep track of it when you get annoyed and just order it off Amazon.
Understand, it’s not your job to try and reeducate bookstores. You don’t want to wait for the week or two it’ll take for a special order, I understand. But if folks are asking me what’s “better” (meaning, presumably, what benefits my career) then yes, special ordering the book is preferable.
PAD
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Not an isolated occurance, Den.
Picture, if you will, a Book Stop outside a mall on the southern side, a Waldenbooks inside the mall, and finally a B&N opened outside the mall on the northern side. After the B&N opened, the Book Stop soon announced its closing twice because the parent company didn’t want to compete with themselves at B&N, before finally closing the third time it was announced.
In that case, though, it almost makes sense to drop the Book Stop location, despite having an existing customer base and brisk business, because the B&N made more money on the same books by not discounting them automatically.
Resultingly, the only Book Stop that I’m aware of still existing in the area no longer discounts books as SOP, and rather than using their previous $10 to join, $8 to renew each year discount card, uses the $25 per year B&N card. It used to be worth the relatively short drive to go to that remaining Book Stop. No longer. And, with a Borders now open near that store, I’m expecting it to close within the year in favor of a B&N.
Wherever you live, support local businesses! Your dollars are best kept in your own community than in some corporate office on the other side of the country!
I don’t know about you, but my dollars are best kept in my pocket. If it’s a choice between paying full price on a $30 hardcover at a local bookstore or getting 40-50% off at B&N, I’m going to Barnes and Noble.
“Supporting local business” is not a luxury everyone can afford. Buying my books at B&N saves me a couple hundred dollars a year, and given the choice between a local bookstore having that money or me having it… well, sorry, but the local bookstore is out of luck.
I still go to the little local places (Marlo Books here in NE Philly, WOW Books in Jenkintown) when I can’t find something other places and I’m happy to do so, but when it comes to new hardcovers and expensive items like that, buying from a local bookshop (in my circumstance at least) is tantamount to throwing money away.
It’s the sad economic reality of the middle class.
JLK
Posted by Jennifer:
I know I’ve tried to get books at Waldens and B. Dalton’s, but their selections around here are very limited. This seems odd considering I know that Waldens owns Barnes and Nobles and B. Dalton’s owns Borders (or is it the other way around…?)
Just to nitpick:
Borders owns Waldenbooks.
Barnes & Noble owns B. Dalton (as well as other booksellers operating under a few other names like Bookstop, Scribners, etc.).
The stores that operate under the names Borders and Barnes & Noble tend to be larger, “superstore” locations with more space and more titles. Stores that operate under the B. Dalton and Waldenbooks names tend to be smaller and regularly stock fewer titles.
Further nitpicks:
Actually, Waldenbooks bought the Borders chain and then renamed for stock purposes as Borders Group Inc.
The clubs are $25 at the B&N family of stores, $12 at Waldenbooks with $5 Gift Certificate/Coupons with each $100 of spending. Both give 10% off.
Spending your money at the local superstore in your town is still better than spending it on the web.
hmm…. well i might go check out the price from my preferred bookstore. i must go to america though and check out these superstores. i’m used to shops that only stock half a dozen trek books at a time, maybe just one copy of each title. or a couple with multiple copies. this is usually the same for most of the books in the store. by the sounds of things i might get lost in an american store.
on a side note my next book project will be printed in april of next year. i don’t sell to stores, the discounts they ask for are shocking. instead i have little minions that sell them for fundraising purposes, so at least the community benefits. and the young authors are just chuffed that they’ve been printed. so the chain stores are no good for the independent publisher either 😛
cheers ears
In regards to the small vs. big vs. online bookstores debate…
I know I’m gonna catch a lot of heat for saying this, but I try to buy most of my books on Amazon. The reasons are selection, price and convenience.
I can understand the apathy, from a reader’s standpoint, towards B&N or Borders; stores dictated by plan-o-grams and by distant corporate offices deciding what America will (should?) enjoy reading.
But Amazon sells everything. Literally. As one who reads a lot of really obscure nonfiction, it is amazing how many great books I can get from them, books that you would never find or even think to look for outside of a University library. I have spent literally thousands of dollars through them on books that I never would have heard of if I had to rely on local shops. And they often sell it at 30% discount to boot.
I’m not really sure it is my job to save the smaller stores. I think it is more far important to have access to all kinds of books, to support all kinds of authors and give them a chance to make money from their work. And Amazon is a whole lot more efficient at that than any other bookstore in the world. I think Amazon does a great service to writers and readers alike.
That’s just my opinion. Flame away.
Funny story (or maybe not so funny). I went to the local Waldenbooks on Tues, (the 19th) looking for both Tong lashing and One Knight Only. I found the latter with only minimal difficulty (it was practically hidden behind some paperbacks with only a smidge showing). I was unable to find Tong Lashing (although one copy of the paperback of Woad to Wuin was there) so I asked the salesclerk. She found it on the computer and said that there should be some in the back. She came back with one in her hand, gave it to me, and said that there 3 more in the back with it. I looked at her (empty hands) and asked, “Three more? Aren’t you going to put them out on the shelves?” She just looked at me and shrugged.
Funny story (or maybe not so funny). I went to the local Waldenbooks on Tues, (the 19th) looking for both Tong lashing and One Knight Only. I found the latter with only minimal difficulty (it was practically hidden behind some paperbacks with only a smidge showing). I was unable to find Tong Lashing (although one copy of the paperback of Woad to Wuin was there) so I asked the salesclerk. She found it on the computer and said that there should be some in the back. She came back with one in her hand, gave it to me, and said that there 3 more in the back with it. I looked at her (empty hands) and asked, “Three more? Aren’t you going to put them out on the shelves?” She just looked at me and shrugged.
I’d love to shop at an independant bookstore… But the nearest one only sells romance novels new. The one that stocks all genres is 45 minutes away. (Both are primarily used bookstores; there are NO independant bookstores around here that aren’t, until you get to Ann Arbor.)
So, Borders and Waldonbooks for me. Athough I’m happt to say they are both stocking Tong Lashing…. And have Woad to Wuin prominantly displayed.