Oops..in the run up to one Christmas, and orders were so high I had to reprint. So many were returned it nearly bankrupted the business. I never made that mistake again.
Oh god! Nightmare. That's the kind of thing that wakes me at 3am... I'm sorry that happened to you. We had a returns horror early in our existence too. Dozens of big unopened boxes of books returned from WHSmith. We never did business with them again... (And yes, I think you are right. I teach a publishing course to undergraduates, many of whom work in the retail sector, and the confusion and horror on their faces when I tell them about the returns system - and the fact that it's a hangover from World War - is always something to behold...)
This is a problem in many countries, unfortunate USA is the worst and UK is second on the entire globe.
The United States offers the highest cost-risk-ratio.
Sale-or-return is deeply entrenched: bookstores can send unsold copies back for full credit, and publishers typically eat the freight; 30% returns are often cited as “normal.” POD via IngramSpark pushes the chargebacks to you as the publisher (e.g., “Yes–Deliver” adds per-book shipping; “Yes–Destroy” still claws back the wholesale). KDP Print books aren’t bookstore-returnable at all, which is why many shops won’t stock them.
France and Germany are the least crushing with fixed-price frameworks, that although they don’t eliminate returns, their time windows and cost splits can make exposure more predictable than in the US/UK.
I run a weekly series on Thursdays alternating between Owning The Pen (about becoming platform independent and self-publishing) and Owning The Brush, a jump off for artists to better use tools and community to launch their self-centric art hub.
It’s daunting, to say the least. What you do and how you speak frankly for what needs to be done are a gift to the community.
I think I'm right in saying that no other retail sector can return items, not because they're damaged or faulty, but just vecause they haven't sold. When I was a small publisher, ten plus years ago & counting backwards, I had a sudden & unexpected hit one Christmas, and the
Such a great idea, Sam, and one which I would certainly like to help with. But do you know which food banks have signed up for the book distribution? Does the Chichester one do and how do I start the ball rolling if so, or alert them to this extra family bonus so that they can offer this?
Glad you think so! All the logistics are run by Bookbanks - there’s a link in the article - I think they’re keen to expand - but there are logistical restrictions on that so I’m not entirely sure what might happen in Chichester.
“The idea of a child being denied similar delight is appalling.”
And that’s just it.
Out of curiosity, what does your public library system look like? I grew up in Los Angeles, not a lot of money, but we had and have a great library system here, so that’s where I spent my weekends growing up. I don’t see a lot of my friends’ kids using libraries to the same extent and still see people complain that they’re a safe space for homeless people (which they are, to their credit) instead of taking advantage of a service our taxes pay for.
Libraries here are okay - many are great - but also under a lot of strain. The hours they're open aren't always ideal for people who use food banks... but they're definitely an option. And have often have great sections for kids. (Although it's important to be able to own and keep books too.)
Oops..in the run up to one Christmas, and orders were so high I had to reprint. So many were returned it nearly bankrupted the business. I never made that mistake again.
Oh god! Nightmare. That's the kind of thing that wakes me at 3am... I'm sorry that happened to you. We had a returns horror early in our existence too. Dozens of big unopened boxes of books returned from WHSmith. We never did business with them again... (And yes, I think you are right. I teach a publishing course to undergraduates, many of whom work in the retail sector, and the confusion and horror on their faces when I tell them about the returns system - and the fact that it's a hangover from World War - is always something to behold...)
This is a problem in many countries, unfortunate USA is the worst and UK is second on the entire globe.
The United States offers the highest cost-risk-ratio.
Sale-or-return is deeply entrenched: bookstores can send unsold copies back for full credit, and publishers typically eat the freight; 30% returns are often cited as “normal.” POD via IngramSpark pushes the chargebacks to you as the publisher (e.g., “Yes–Deliver” adds per-book shipping; “Yes–Destroy” still claws back the wholesale). KDP Print books aren’t bookstore-returnable at all, which is why many shops won’t stock them.
France and Germany are the least crushing with fixed-price frameworks, that although they don’t eliminate returns, their time windows and cost splits can make exposure more predictable than in the US/UK.
I run a weekly series on Thursdays alternating between Owning The Pen (about becoming platform independent and self-publishing) and Owning The Brush, a jump off for artists to better use tools and community to launch their self-centric art hub.
It’s daunting, to say the least. What you do and how you speak frankly for what needs to be done are a gift to the community.
I think I'm right in saying that no other retail sector can return items, not because they're damaged or faulty, but just vecause they haven't sold. When I was a small publisher, ten plus years ago & counting backwards, I had a sudden & unexpected hit one Christmas, and the
Such a great idea, Sam, and one which I would certainly like to help with. But do you know which food banks have signed up for the book distribution? Does the Chichester one do and how do I start the ball rolling if so, or alert them to this extra family bonus so that they can offer this?
Glad you think so! All the logistics are run by Bookbanks - there’s a link in the article - I think they’re keen to expand - but there are logistical restrictions on that so I’m not entirely sure what might happen in Chichester.
Taking out a monthly donation. I can't bear to think what my childhood would have been like without books.
Donated and reposted. I remember that feeling as a kid as well - every child needs food for their imagination
Wonderful! Thank you!
Hello there, you share interesting work friend I must say.
I’ve been on substack a little over a month now, and my work has been taken phenomenally, I write about history.
As a thank you, I wanted to give away a historic book from my collection:
“Newsman’s Interpreter”
Wrote by Laurence Echard, and I’ll be giving away the 1741 edition.
I just wanted to drop a comment, to mention it, in case your interested!
“The idea of a child being denied similar delight is appalling.”
And that’s just it.
Out of curiosity, what does your public library system look like? I grew up in Los Angeles, not a lot of money, but we had and have a great library system here, so that’s where I spent my weekends growing up. I don’t see a lot of my friends’ kids using libraries to the same extent and still see people complain that they’re a safe space for homeless people (which they are, to their credit) instead of taking advantage of a service our taxes pay for.
Libraries here are okay - many are great - but also under a lot of strain. The hours they're open aren't always ideal for people who use food banks... but they're definitely an option. And have often have great sections for kids. (Although it's important to be able to own and keep books too.)