In a specialized world like coin book selling, what percentage of the books enter the remainder mark
Longacre
Posts: 16,717 ✭✭✭
I was out selling raffle tickets for my local Lions Club yesterday (a nice 1966 Mustang is in the offing), and I spent about 4 hours with a fellow member. This person is a retired paper executive, and he rose up in the company through the sales organization. He was extremely interesting to talk to, as he regaled me with stories of the book industry, just in time delivery of paper, printing costs, authors, the book pricing models, etc. Some of the clients of his company were the largest publishing houses in the US and internationally.
He described the “remainder market”, which I understand to be books that are not sold in the primary market, but are then sold by special remainder sellers. If I am understanding correctly, the books that are returned to the publishers are the ones that are considered “remainders”, and the publisher tries to recoup some of its costs of these returns from the primary sellers.
He stated that publishers build in an assumption of 40% of their production having to go into the remainder market (in other words, 40% of a print run does not sell in the primary market).
I am not sure if the coin book publishing business works the same way, but I am wondering what percentage of coin publications go to the remainder market. Of course, this affects the publisher’s pricing model for books. Given that coin books are a specialty area, does anyone know if that 40% estimate is too low or too high, or are niche areas (like coin books) different, and most of the print runs get sold because the market is so predictable?
PS. I never knew how dirt, dirt cheap it is to print a book, but that is the subject of another thread.
He described the “remainder market”, which I understand to be books that are not sold in the primary market, but are then sold by special remainder sellers. If I am understanding correctly, the books that are returned to the publishers are the ones that are considered “remainders”, and the publisher tries to recoup some of its costs of these returns from the primary sellers.
He stated that publishers build in an assumption of 40% of their production having to go into the remainder market (in other words, 40% of a print run does not sell in the primary market).
I am not sure if the coin book publishing business works the same way, but I am wondering what percentage of coin publications go to the remainder market. Of course, this affects the publisher’s pricing model for books. Given that coin books are a specialty area, does anyone know if that 40% estimate is too low or too high, or are niche areas (like coin books) different, and most of the print runs get sold because the market is so predictable?
PS. I never knew how dirt, dirt cheap it is to print a book, but that is the subject of another thread.
Always took candy from strangers
Didn't wanna get me no trade
Never want to be like papa
Working for the boss every night and day
--"Happy", by the Rolling Stones (1972)
Didn't wanna get me no trade
Never want to be like papa
Working for the boss every night and day
--"Happy", by the Rolling Stones (1972)
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