Cash Up Front

One From The NY Times on a complicated kind of machinery that has evolved over the last 15 years in the world of American bookselling.
They report many publishers say that the tables and flashy cardboard displays that crowd the front of chain bookstores have emerged as a marketing force fully as powerful as the traditional ways of trying to bring a book to the public’s hard-won attention — through newspaper and magazine ads, reviews, author tours and radio and television interviews.

But this promotional device, like most others, comes with a cost.

June 6, 2005 by Blake Uncategorized 7

birdie says:

June 6, 2005 at 5:20 pm

Another Way To Sell a Book–Hand-Selling
There’s one other way to sell a book that takes a lot of knowledge, time and attention, and that’s why the chains can’t use it…it’s called hand-selling.

It’s something like ‘readers advisory’ in the library world…figuring out what a person likes, what they’ve read and what they’d like to read next.
It’s used in INDEPENDENT bookstores, because the clerks know the books, love them and care about literature and subject matter. They’re not there for their $8.50 an hour salary as most employees are at the chains.

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Bishop says:

June 6, 2005 at 7:05 pm

Re:Another Way To Sell a Book–Hand-Selling
You know, I don’t think that is quite fair. I’ve known a lot of people who work for the large chains who do just that. Conversely, I’ve had experiences at ‘independent’ book stores where the genre I wanted to read was sneered at by the clerk and they were then rude and/or brusque with me when I tried to ask questions. Another time, there was a line of people out the door and Chatty McClerk at the independent wanted to spend all his time talking about books to the person in front of him who was trying to edge out of the shop.

I guess what I’m saying is that those expereinces seem to be dependent on the individual . . .not the store. I’d much rather have a clerk that knew when hand selling was appropriate then one who either did or did not do it all the time.

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birdie says:

June 6, 2005 at 7:19 pm

Re:Another Way To Sell a Book–Hand-Selling
OK, fair enough. Some big-box store clerks are good booksellers, some indie store clerks are not.

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Grumpy Librarian says:

June 7, 2005 at 12:24 am

Re:Another Way To Sell a Book–Hand-Selling
“…where the genre I wanted to read was sneered at by the clerk…”

Well, what genre was it??

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Anonymous says:

June 7, 2005 at 1:33 am

Re: Well, what genre was it??
Must’ve been library science

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Anonymous Patron says:

June 7, 2005 at 10:50 pm

Re:Another Way To Sell a Book–Hand-Selling
It could have been the romance genra too. I buy them on occasion and sometimes, I really think if I was buying a book on “How to be a Serial Killer in 10 Easy Steps” I would get more admiration and respect.

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Anonymous Patron says:

June 7, 2005 at 11:04 pm

Re:Another Way To Sell a Book–Hand-Selling
Ah – the importance of checking your spelling…
Sorry about the above post. I meant genre.

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