By: Eric (a sales assistant at a major trade publisher)
I’ve followed Nathan’s blog for close to two years now, and he has done an admirable—nay, outstanding—job of outlining, explaining, reiterating, and overall demystifying the somewhat byzantine method by which manuscripts (produced by you, the author) are acquired, auctioned, sold, &c, and eventually transformed into finished books (purchased by you, the consumer). So first of all, thank you, Nathan, for all you’ve done to make this business a little clearer to the rest of us.
The very last stage of this process, though—the sale of books from publisher to book store to consumer—isn’t really the focus of the blog, and so has received relatively little treatment so far. With Nathan’s permission, I’d like to shed a little light on this last leg of a book’s journey.
What life is like for a sales assistant
I work as a sales assistant at a major trade book publisher (feel free to insert your favorite name here: Penguin, Random House, HarperCollins, &c), which means that my job mostly involves:
- Preparing sales materials for the sales reps who sell the books to a given account, and
- Keeping track of the promotions we run at said account. Since the account I work on is a national chain (e.g. Barnes & Noble, Borders, Books-A-Million), this is a fairly involved process.
How does this affect your book once it’s already survived the gauntlet of critique group, literary agent, and editor?
Sales materials
First, the sales materials. Each book that we publish is grouped according to its on-sale date, usually by month but occasionally by span. (There are three spans: Spring, Summer, and Fall.) Within a certain month or span, different sales reps are responsible for selling different subsets of books to the account (for example, the two reps for whom I work divide the list of one imprint; one sells the hardcovers, the other sells the trade paperbacks and mass-markets). For each title in a subset, it’s my job to create a sales kit. My sales kits generally consist of:
- A cover sheet, unique to the account, that breaks out basic information (author, title, ISBN, &c) and provides the book’s subject code, which determines which buyer at the account is responsible for it and what section of the store the book will eventually live in. Each buyer usually specializes in just a couple of genres/categories.
- A kind of “fact sheet” that summarizes all the important information about the book: title, author, ISBN, &c, as well as marketing information, quotes/blurbs, copy, and “comp” information. Alas, yes, your book will be “comped” to a previously published title—either your last book, if you wrote one, or a book that is similar in content, format, and span/on-sale month, if you didn’t—and the comp’s sales figures factor into the account’s initial buy.
- A full-color copy of the book’s cover.
- Any other promotional materials (additional praise/quotes/blurbs, sell sheets, &c) that may be useful.
The sales reps then meet periodically with the buyers at their account and “pitch” them each title. (You thought the pitch was over with the editor’s acquisition. You were wrong.)
These meetings are referred to as “selling in” or “sales calls” and they are the meetings at which initial orders are decided. Simply put, the initial order is the number of copies the account’s buyer wants to purchase in time for the on-sale date; any later orders are considered reorders and are used to replenish stock when it runs low.
The sales kits are essential to these meetings—the rep uses them to get the buyers excited and to push them to order quantities that are in line with the publisher’s expectations. This generally involves convincing buyers (via cover images, sales data, praise and quotes from famous critics or authors, &c) to purchase more copies than they otherwise would.
Buying and sell through
So let’s say your book, I AM PRETTY AWESOME, a literary memoir, gets a 2,000-copy buy at a given account. Not bad! Your previous book, I GUESS I’M OKAY, sold 1,500 copies in its first four weeks and has experienced 80% life-to-date sell-through. (Sell-through is the percentage of books an account sells compared to how many it bought.)
Not only that, but a couple of big-time authors have come out to praise it and it got a starred review in Publisher’s Weekly. Both the rep and the buyer are confident that 2,000 is a good number based on this information.
After the sales call, the reps will either enter the orders into our computers themselves or ask me to do it. At this point, the order quantity is called an estimate, since we estimate this is how many copies of each title the account will initially order. (Keep in mind that we tend to sell books to our accounts about five months before they go on sale, so it’s possible substantial changes can occur to the order quantity between the sales call and the placement of the actual initial order.) Once the order comes in, it is compared to the estimate, any discrepancies are worked out between the publisher and the account, and the books are shipped in time for their release date.
How accounts decide how many copies to buy
In summary: sales of your previous books, sales of “comp” titles, your platform as an author (as described on the fact sheets), the book’s cover, the current economic climate, events in the news, &c all contribute to how many copies of your book a given account will buy.
If you’re lucky—either because you’re a big shot or because you happened to write a book about the life and times of Michael Jackson a few months back—the orders for your book could be HUGE, say, 10,000 copies. This will qualify your title for promotion, e.g. placement on that magical table at the front of the store, and so brings us to the second half of my job: promotion, through a system we call co-op.
What’s co-op?
Co-op, in short, is the process by which we work with an account to determine which of our titles get special treatment: placement at the front of the store, on endcaps, in special displays, &c. The account is paid for running these promotions for a set amount of time, either flat amounts or a certain amount of money per book. Any time you see a title on a major front-of-store display, it’s because that book’s publisher paid the account for the promotion. Stephenie Meyer doesn’t magically get her own table, and those “New Release” tables aren’t populated by the store staff’s personal favorites. The publisher and the account agree on time tables, promotions, and monetary reimbursement, and the account is paid upon completion of those promotions.
Of note: co-op is formalized through a legally binding contract process, so it’s not treated lightly by either the publisher or the account. Once the deal is inked, titles are promoted, and once they’re promoted, the account is paid.
Your next question, I imagine, is probably something along the lines of “holy hell, how do I make sure my book gets co-op? How can I help decide which titles it’s comped to?”
Alas, I’m afraid the answer is: you can’t. The vast majority of titles go to their section (science fiction, literary fiction, biography, &c) at on-sale, and the Grishams, Meyers, and Evanovichs receive co-op. To be sure, they’re not the only ones; new authors do get co-op for their titles. It’s relatively rare, though, so don’t be disappointed if your book isn’t front-of-store come release day, especially if it’s your first one.
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Eric says
Hi Layne–
You're correct. Although Bookscan has been continually improving since its inception, it still doesn't capture 100% of industry sales. (It's probably more like 75%. On a good day.)
My company does solicit daily sales information from its accounts, so for any title we've published, I can look up daily, weekly, and yearly POS (point of sale) and market share information. This can even be broken down to the level of individual stores.
However, for titles we have not published, Bookscan is the best tool we've got—although I believe an editor will consider royalty statements from an author whose books have been published by other houses as proof of sales, assuming the author believes Bookscan isn't a fair representation of his/her sales.
Roger S. Williams says
Good discussion here. As a former sales director for a major publishing house, it would actually be interesting to run through the steps that are really involved in coming up with the print and goal numbers. Eric mentions that the numbers are derived from prior sell through and P&L models. However, there can be some interesting variations which are determined in a series of meetings that begin over year before the final print date.
Also, if any of you think this whole process seems daunting. Wait until you hear about the returns process! Yuck.
A misinterpreted wave says
A really interesting read. I am with a few of the others, that it was a bit disheartening to read that some parts of the process are so clinical (for want of a better word. However, I think that ignorance was not bliss, and it is certainly better to know what is happening out there.
Eric my question is about the process. Does it differ very much from country to country? Or is this pretty much standard practice in the big companies, no matter what country the company is working in?
Thermocline says
Eric,
Thank you for writing this great post. Reading information like this makes me less surprised how long it can take from getting signed with a publishing house to seeing a book on the shelf.
Eric says
Hi Roger–
Exactly. If I do decide to write a blog–and it looks like there'd be an audience for it–I'd definitely touch on print meetings, the back-and-forth between publisher, rep, and account, and the convuluted return system (among other things).
Eric says
Hi Kia–
1. Non-seasonal books are released all the time in December, so I wouldn't worry about seasonality in particular. Be aware, however, that this fall is something of a "hail Mary pass" for many of the big publishers, so you'll be in direct competition with the likes of Dave Eggers, Jonathan Safran Foer, and Dan Brown.
2. I actually have no idea on this one. If someone with experience in this arena could leave a comment, that would be great.
Eric says
Miss Mabel–
Good points all. It's worth noting that (at least in the US) as long as, say, an in-section face-out doesn't subtract from space allocated to another title with paid co-op, I think the staff (particularly in independent stores) is more or less free to face-out whatever they choose.
The display tables, though, are pretty strictly controlled.
Joseph L. Selby says
Thank you very much for your comments, Eric.
Eric says
Hi Emily–
That's certainly your option, although I don't know how many of our debut authors go that route. It's something you'd want to discuss with your agent, probably five or six months before on-sale (although earlier can't really hurt).
Eric says
I'd like to second Miss Mabel's comments. I've worked in a bookstore and there's always a square-peg/round-hole problem with co-ops–not every store has the same tables and endcaps.
Stop in your local stores and sign copies, and call ahead to stores in places where you'll be traveling and ask if they'll order a few copies for you to stop in and sign.
If a hole opens up, your book may get put there. Sometimes we even put the books up at the information desk with us.
The most important thing is to not be a jerk. Even the celebrity authors need to treat the book floor sales staff like fellow human beings if they want anyone to mention their titles. You don't have to bake them cookies, just be friendly and understanding if they don't have any copies of your title in stock. If you're cool, they'll probably order some.
It won't get you the broad coverage the marketing department can get you, but it will get the word out and your agent and publisher will know you're serious about the business end. I'll let Nathan and other-Eric speak to that.
Eric says
*Convoluted. Ugh.
A misinterpreted wave–
I believe the system is fairly uniform across North America and the UK, but I'm not 100% sure. I really don't know how the system is run elsewhere. I imagine it's fairly similar in any country where there are national chains.
Eric says
Other Eric–
Well said!
Jeff says
Great post! I always wondered how that part of the business worked. Thanks!
KLRomo says
Well, Eric, it looks like you spent your entire day answering the comments to your blog – thanks! And thanks for the informative post. I would be interested in your blog, if you choose to start one. BTW, since you like literary fiction, I have a wonderful literary novel for you, if you'd like to read it!:o)
Jenny says
Eric-
I love that you pointed out THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY. Barnes and Noble had that heavily FOS because it was a Barnes and Noble Recommends title. Big signs. Lots of front space. Many ARCs for booksellers so that they could talk intelligently about it.
And the Recommends display is really interesting because it also tries to keep the focus on new/not-as-popular yet authors.
Eric says
Jenny–
True! I should also point out that there is some co-op placement, like Borders' Original Voices, that is geared toward emerging/debut authors.
wendy says
Amen to what Mira said, Victoria D. In fact, on my way now…
Thanks for this information, Eric. Great, but slightly alarming, stuff.
Anonymous says
Awesome post, Eric.
When are you starting the blog?
Jolie says
Eric,
Question for the comments or for another blog post:
In your experience, how much difference does it make for books to be signed if the author isn't already well known? Do signed book sell better/faster simply by virtue of being signed?
Audrianna says
Thanks so much, Eric. I've been wondering about the whole process and you pretty much answered every question I had. Good stuff to know!!!!
allegory19 says
I'm heading over Victoria D – thanks for the link.
Eric says
Hi Jolie–
Signed copies rely on name recognition to really move stock, so if you're not already a known author, you probably won't see large-scale sales improvement by signing copies–most of the people who will buy your signed book will be members of a loyal, niche audience who probably would have bought it anyway.
However, you should never underestimate the ability of a sticker to attract attention, and that "Signed Copy" sticker can get a lot of people to give your book a second look. (Coming in to sign copies at your local bookstore is also great PR.) My advice? Sign away–it can't hurt and can only help. Just don't get too optimistic about how it will impact overall sales (at least, not yet).
Eric says
Also, last comment on this post–
I'd never really considered writing a blog, but if would help any of you, then I'd be glad to do it. I can't promise the same kind of regularity and energy as Nathan, but I'll aim for a five-a-week (Mon – Fri) posting schedule and see how that works.
The blog is totally bare bones now, but should be up and running in the next couple of days. Check it out at https://pimpmynovel.blogspot.com.
Thanks to everyone for your great questions and appreciation! I'm looking forward to today's guest post.
Vacuum Queen says
So, when it's Valentine's day or some other holiday, and the kids' section at B&N has a rounder full of Valentine books (which I assume would normally never really sell), does that mean that those are NOT just pulled at random for a "shot of pink and red" on the table? There's actually a method to it, even for something like that?
Vacuum Queen says
OK< nevermind. I just read through the comments and read about "FOS" for seasonal stuff. Ignore me. 🙂
TKA says
Ditto many of above comments. Very interesting. Great info. Thanks, Eric.
Laura Martone says
Thanks, Eric, for the link (BTW, love the name of your blog). I just signed up as a follower!
Mariana says
Wonderful post Eric. Thanks for sharing!
And thanks so much for giving your readers this space, Nathan.
A J Hawke says
I can never enter Borders or Barnes & Noble with the same attitude again. The veil has been lifted on the mysterious placement of books and how they got there.
I appreciated the blog post and the comments.
A J
AM says
Excellent Post. I will be checking back on your blog.
Thanks again.
Laura Martone says
Okay, I'll say it. Where, oh where, is Tuesday's guest post? I'm itching to read it! 🙁
chris bates says
Bloody Bransford.
Can't rely on anyone in publishing these days!
Elaine 'still writing' Smith says
Perhaps an 'anti-winner' could post a subversive mini-post here so we'd have something to think about?!
Elaine
Victoria Dixon says
Thanks so much to all of you for visiting ronempress.blogspot and especially to Wendy for signing up to follow the blog! I realize I probably get more hits than I'll ever know, but it's nice to see a new name or two as well. 🙂
Mira says
Oh. Eric, sorry to hijack your thread, but I also want to express weigh in on the missing blog post. I guess Nathan must be having trouble with internet access in South America.
I feel for the person who was scheduled for today. I'm sure it will happen soon though – hopefully!
Anonymous says
If you look at the top of the comments section in last Friday's post, Nathan writes that the auto-publish function wasn't working and that if there were gaps in the postings, that's the reason.
Kimberly Lynn says
Lots of great info, Eric.
Thanks!
Renee Collins says
Oh . . . so just technical difficulties? That's understandable I guess.
*walks away whistling, hiding torch and pitchfork behind back*
Kiersten says
I'll admit to being the tiniest bit disappointed that my post didn't show up today.
Still, you can always visit my blog for similar wit and sarcasm.
Oh! But, since no one's read it yet, I can pretend like it was BRILLIANT. And every bit as informative as Eric's post! Yes, that's what it was. Pure genius. I've no doubt that if you'd all read it each and every one of you would have a publishing deal within the week.
Such a pity.
Alisa says
I see you have been flooded with questions already, but I am curious: why does it matter how many books a store orders initially? Surely they will just return the ones they don't sell and order more if they run out?
Kia says
Eric,
Thanks for your reply. It's definitely reassured me (ignoring the Eggers/Safran/Brown part :).
AM says
Kiersten,
I hope we can still read your blog when Nathan gets back.
BTW: Where is the URL for your blog?
Thanks.
Mira says
Oh, I would imagine that Nathan will still post all five…..the question is when…?
Do you think they just decided to wait until Nathan got back?
That's a shame – we're more trustworthy than that. Truly. No joke.
Laura Martone says
Of course, we're still not certain Kiersten's post was next… Nathan told us that the names were in no particular order…
Guess we just have to hope that a new one appears today.
Course, if all five don't post this week, blog links would definitely be appreciated. 🙂
–Laura
Laura Martone says
Mira –
I think Nathan will honor all five postings… there just might not be anyone minding the store at the moment, while Nathan's away. We can be patient – after all, everyone deserves an uninterrupted vacation, and I'd hate to think he's checking in on the blog when he should be playing with the kids!
Kiersten says
Oh, I absolutely agree that Nathan's got better things to do right now. If, however, you don't, my url is https://kierstenwrites.blogspot.com.
I'm sure they'll all show up eventually.
AM says
Kiersten —
I really enjoyed your blog!
It's so nice to know I'm not alone in my procrastination – I mean writer's block.
Funny!
Laura Martone says
I read it, too, Kiersten. Funny stuff – and, sadly, true. Thanks for posting the link.
Arno says
While everyone is waiting for the next post, take a minute to check out a new, innovative publisher: http://www.arnobooks.com. Arno's accepting queries for fiction now!
Mira says
Well, it may just be that this Nathan's responsiblity and he is having trouble with internet access.
But on the off chance that this blog is being supervised, and a decision was made to hold off for Nathan: I will make a personal vow, that I, at least, I, Mira, will be just as restrained as if Nathan was hovering over me with that delete button.
It's so exciting for the people who were chosen. It would be great if they didn't have to wait a week.