Date: Mon, 05 Apr 2004 11:04:03 -0400
From: "Michael Walsh" <MJW at mail.press.jhu.edu>
To: <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Re: Future Washington Anthology
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>

>samlubell at verizon.net 04/03/04 02:42PM
>>At 01:33 PM 4/3/2004 -0500, Keith wrote:
>>Am I missing something?  1386 copies sold in a week means a quarter
>>million copies will be sold in 3.5 years.  Not great, but not terrible
>>either.  Of course rate of sales will fall off with time, but so what
>>if it takes twice as long to sell all the copies?  How much does it
>>cost to store a book in a warehouse for a year, anyway?  I would
>>imagine it would take decades before the cost of storing a book
>>exceeds what the book can eventually be sold for.
>
>Publishing doesn't work that way (see the demise of the backlist).  If =
the
>book doesn't sell it either gets pulped (if paperback)

Paperbacks have their covers ripped off to be reruned for credit. The =
store is then suppose to destroy the rest of the book.

or remaindered and
>sold to the Half Off book market.

Hardcovers and trade paperbacks can either be pulped or remaindered.

The latest wrinkle in remaindering is when the publisher realizes that =
they a bazillion copies of a title in stores and it's not selling - really =
not selling.

So, to reduce the number of copies that do get returned they offer credit =
to the stores for their remaining stock, that credit sufficient for the =
store to try to sell the non-selling book at 50% off and make money.

So when you go into the Big Bookstore That Begins With The Letter B and =
you see that new book by that big name author now at 50%, you are looking =
at a publishing turkey.

mjw

Michael J. Walsh
mjw at mail.press.jhu.edu