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Give up on returns
It's ironic that the policy of bookstore returns started during the
last economic Depression, when Simon & Schuster decided it was a
great way to allow bookstores to take chances on books because there
was no downside. Today, however, the cost of allowing returns is
strangling the entire publishing industry. Now's the time to introduce
economic incentives for booksellers who are willing to forego
returns--or just eliminate the option unilaterally, across the
industry. Like gravitating away from hardcovers to soft, eliminating
returns will bring book prices way, way down--and change the economics
of the entire business.
Put galleys online
Distributing hard copies of advance galleys four months before official
publication date is a practice that should have died out with the
advent of instant printing several years ago. Why should publishers do
headstands to get advance galley copies of books (books that are
already in final form, mind you) into the hands of opinion makers four
months before the books are officially released? It's time to put
galleys online where they belong. Not only will this save mega bucks
and mega time, it will eliminate the fake 'four month window' during
which you have to sit on your books, as well as the plethora of galleys
available for sale on Amazon. Done correctly, it might even generate
advance buzz amongst readers.
Market the books, dammit!
When McDonalds introduces a new burger, they do a PR campaign. When
the Hilton introduces new amenities, they do a PR campaign. It's hard
to even think of an industry where products for the general public are
not marketed. But usually the publishing industry only markets books
that seem to be taking off already. As an industry pundit once said,
publishers would wait to see whether the infant survives before
bothering to feed it...
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Fern Reiss, CEO, PublishingGame.com/Expertizing.com
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