The Dirt on Box Stores

I'm happy to report that May Day is getting reviewed in Tulsa, Oklahoma? South Dakota? Georgia?

Also, I have picked up some tasty knowledge on how box stores, specifically Barnes & Noble and Border, order and stock books. Here's how I got it. Last night, at my Rice Lake public library presentation, a woman in the audience said she had gone to two Borders, and both of them told her that they do not stock May Day because it's an "order only" book. I asked my bookselling/publicizing/publishing guru how the box stores work, and here is what He said:

"When a box store buys X number of a book, they allocate copies to their stores based on how they sell in that book’s genre. For instance, mystery might sell well at one Barnes and Noble but not another. Once a new title is on the shelves, the box store buyer (usually one person in a region who oversees many stores simultaneously) monitors its sales. If it sells well (don’t ask me how they define that, but they usually evalute sales on a book after its been out for about three months), they will then make a recommendation that the book be 'modeled.' Once a book is modeled, it has a minimum number that must remain on the shelf at all times to meet demand (this number is usually small; 1-3). As soon as a copy is sold, one is automatically reordered by the computer to replenish and bring it back to model.

If a book doesn’t sell well, it will most likely be pulled from the shelves and sent back to the distribution center. Certain restrictions may apply. For instance, even if May Day doesn’t sell well enough in Minnesota to make model, most buyers will make sure that a copy or two stay on shelves simply by virtue of the fact that it’s by a local author (or has a local setting). Once a book is pulled, it is still available for ordering but won’t be on the shelves as a matter of record. The book's publisher has no control over that.

I am pretty sure there’s no such designation as 'order only.' (Technically, EVERY book is order only.) Order only may have been shorthand for 'that book is not modeled, ergo it will not be auto-replenished, ergo the only way to get a copy is to order it.' The important thing to remember is that anyone who wants MD can walk in and order it at any time and they will get it as long as Borders stocks it in their warehouse."

Interesting stuff, no? I also saw David Morrell speak at a conference last fall, and he said that all placement at box stores, including everything but the New York Times bestseller's display, is paid placement. So, if you walk in and see a "Barnes and Noble's bestsellers" display, for example, you'll know that those books are there only because their publishers paid Barnes and Noble big bucks to put them there. Seems dishonest somehow, no? It's one more good reason to support independent bookstores, where the recommendations you get are first-person and free.

Wish me luck at my Rice Lake Bookworld signing tomorrow (Wednesday, 5:30-7:30), the last stop in my J Lo Takes Wisconsin Book Tour, 2006!

Confession: I went to a WalMart Super Store on this trip. I'm sorry Christine. I feel dirty. Later, I donated my hair to help raise funds to pay the legal fees of those unfairly held at Gitmo, and the universe is back in balance. For the record, the superstore had okay prices but a lousy selection, so it wasn't even worth the karma debt.