As a kid I used to wonder why some books were sold so cheap. In the occasional bookstore I’d see big, expensive-looking books for unbelievably low prices. Although I didn’t know it at the time, I’d discovered remaindered books. A friend in the publishing industry explained it to me. Publishers have to project how many copies of a book to print. This is becoming increasingly difficult to project. Reprints are always possible, but as in most industries, buying in bulk is cheaper, so publishers try to project sales for a first print run. In the case of a famous author it’s okay to overprint. Better to have enough stock on hand to meet initial demand than to risk the public losing interest. Despite technology, publishing is a slow industry, compared to the world the internet has created. But what it you print too many and public interest never rises to the bait? First you offer such books at a discount, hoping the reduced pr...
Blog of a struggling writer.