Comments on: Returns: the elephant in the room http://www.danutakean.com/blog/?p=223 About publishing, for writers Sat, 23 Jan 2010 15:47:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: SUSAN HILL http://www.danutakean.com/blog/?p=223&cpage=1#comment-10551 SUSAN HILL Tue, 17 Apr 2007 08:16:04 +0000 http://www.danutakean.com/blog/?p=223#comment-10551 Everything else sold on the high street is final sale - shoes, necklaces, lipstick, dog food, pillowcases.. in this sense books really are NO DIFFERENT. A friend runs a chain of very succesful gift shops in my area and she is shocked by S O R. She says she pays for her buying mistakes so she has to try hard not to make too many. One of the problems is that they buy too many of one title as a punt, knowing it can be returned -pile 'em high, don`t sell them, bung 'em back. It is a disgrace. It will only change when someone in Government FORCES it to change, on environmental reasons. Everything else sold on the high street is final sale – shoes, necklaces, lipstick, dog food, pillowcases.. in this sense books really are NO DIFFERENT. A friend runs a chain of very succesful gift shops in my area and she is shocked by S O R. She says she pays for her buying mistakes so she has to try hard not to make too many. One of the problems is that they buy too many of one title as a punt, knowing it can be returned -pile ‘em high, don`t sell them, bung ‘em back. It is a disgrace. It will only change when someone in Government FORCES it to change, on environmental reasons.

]]> By: Lynne W. Scanlon http://www.danutakean.com/blog/?p=223&cpage=1#comment-10528 Lynne W. Scanlon Mon, 16 Apr 2007 17:05:55 +0000 http://www.danutakean.com/blog/?p=223#comment-10528 Let's face it, books are "sold" on-consignment at bookstores. I've written about this, too. Some smaller publishers are standing tall and refusing returns or making sure bookstores return books within the due dates of the contract and not YEARS later, but for the most part, the big publishers refuse to change the business model, even though it would be to everyone's advantage. Interestingly, New Zealand bookstores do not operate this way. When they buy from a publishers, it's a final sale. Let’s face it, books are “sold” on-consignment at bookstores. I’ve written about this, too.

Some smaller publishers are standing tall and refusing returns or making sure bookstores return books within the due dates of the contract and not YEARS later, but for the most part, the big publishers refuse to change the business model, even though it would be to everyone’s advantage.

Interestingly, New Zealand bookstores do not operate this way. When they buy from a publishers, it’s a final sale.

]]> By: Danuta Kean http://www.danutakean.com/blog/?p=223&cpage=1#comment-10472 Danuta Kean Sun, 15 Apr 2007 16:04:02 +0000 http://www.danutakean.com/blog/?p=223#comment-10472 Yep that just about sums up the conversations I had with publishers, Susan. Large retailers really have to take some responsibility for this rather than just asking for more terms. Yep that just about sums up the conversations I had with publishers, Susan. Large retailers really have to take some responsibility for this rather than just asking for more terms.

]]> By: SUSAN HILL http://www.danutakean.com/blog/?p=223&cpage=1#comment-10286 SUSAN HILL Thu, 12 Apr 2007 20:10:14 +0000 http://www.danutakean.com/blog/?p=223#comment-10286 I blogged at length about this earlier in the year and received a number of negative comments. I detailed the journey of a book I publish which is returned from where it is printed, to me, to a wholesaler, to a bookshop, back to the wholesaler, back to me.. and as it is likely to be damaged, onto a skip to God knows where... .working out the carbon footprints on the way. I said that returns was the most urgent thing to address in terms of the environment alone - think too of the paperwork accompanying that book - and the packaging times ten or whatever.. But NO ONE will address the issue seriously for any reason. It will in the end be the environmental reason that makes a discussion inevitable and a solution urgent. I blogged at length about this earlier in the year and received a number of negative comments. I detailed the journey of a book I publish which is returned from where it is printed, to me, to a wholesaler, to a bookshop, back to the wholesaler, back to me.. and as it is likely to be damaged, onto a skip to God knows where… .working out the carbon footprints on the way. I said that returns was the most urgent thing to address in terms of the environment alone – think too of the paperwork accompanying that book – and the packaging times ten or whatever..
But NO ONE will address the issue seriously for any reason. It will in the end be the environmental reason that makes a discussion inevitable and a solution urgent.

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