Category: Book Industry

Smart Tools for Easier Buying: Leveraging Our Custom Website Tools

December 12, 2023

Are you using Book Depot’s website tools to their fullest capabilities? We’ve made the book buying process so much easier for our customers through the creation of custom tools to help them search for the books they want. Gone are the days of having to painstakingly type in authors one-by-one and juggling multiple keywords to uncover books in line with customers’ interests.

With our Custom List Creator, you set the criteria. This tool empowers you to tailor lists according to your specific needs and preferences. Save your customized lists for future use, set up templates to have them emailed to you, and choose both the day and frequency for receiving these lists. Doesn’t that sound like a time-saver?

Moreover, enhance your experience by applying advanced filters. Precision is at your fingertips as you refine results by quantity, concentrate on budget-friendly price points, identify in-stock arrival dates, specify preferred publishers, and eliminate redundancy by excluding previously viewed lists.

Curious about this tool’s secret hideout? After logging in, just click the person icon at the top, then navigate to My Lists. Click ‘Create,’ and voila! You can customize your list across various categories including:

Category
Publisher
Author
Format
Price & Quantity
Arrival Date
Demographic
Keywords
Exclude Lists

At Book Depot, we’re not just about offering an extensive book selection at great prices; we’re on a mission to make your shopping smarter, so you can maximize your resources. Say hello to efficiency with tools that put convenience at your fingertips.

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Unlocking Success: The Magic of Bargain Books in Your Store

November 29, 2023

In the dynamic world of retail, finding the perfect balance between quality offerings and budget-friendly choices is an art. One avenue that holds immense potential for both customers and store owners is the realm of bargain books. These treasures not only delight avid readers but also open up new avenues for sales growth and customer loyalty. Let’s explore the benefits of incorporating bargain books into your inventory and how to maximize their sales in your store.

Broadening Customer Base

Bargain books act as a magnet for a diverse audience. While budget-conscious readers are drawn to the affordability, others might be enticed to explore new genres or authors they wouldn’t have considered at regular prices. By offering discounted books, you attract a wider customer base, making your store more inclusive and appealing.

Boosting Impulse Purchases

A well-displayed section of bargain books near the checkout counter can spark impulse purchases. Customers often find it hard to resist a good deal, especially when it comes to adding an affordable gem to their purchase. Consider strategically placing bargain books in high-traffic areas to capitalize on these impromptu buying decisions.

Building Customer Loyalty

Bargain books can serve as a gateway to cultivating long-term relationships with your customers. By offering them affordable options, you demonstrate a commitment to providing value, creating a positive shopping experience. Satisfied customers are more likely to return, and with word-of-mouth marketing, your store can become a go-to destination for both quality and savings.

Creating Theme-Based Displays

Maximize the appeal of bargain books by creating theme-based displays. Whether it’s seasonal discounts, genre-specific promotions, or highlighting hidden gems, organizing your discounted selection in an attractive and organized manner can significantly enhance their appeal. Visual storytelling around the bargain books encourages customers to explore and discover new titles.

Leveraging Social Media for Promotion

Harness the power of social media to promote your bargain book offerings. Share regular updates on these titles or host online book discussions around these budget-friendly options. Engaging with your audience through platforms like TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter can amplify your store’s visibility and attract a broader online audience. Stay connected to BookTok for what’s trending, as a lot of bargain book titles are highly sought after.

Incorporating bargain books into your retail strategy isn’t just about providing affordable options; it’s about creating an experience that resonates with your customers. By maximizing the benefits of bargain books, your store can become a haven for both savvy readers and those looking to embark on new literary adventures without breaking the bank. Unlock the magic of affordability and watch as your store transforms into a thriving hub for book enthusiasts of all kinds.

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Spark Book Fairs, the online book fair that pays.

Meet Spark Book Fairs—Book Depot Inc.’s Latest Literary Journey

April 21, 2023

Introducing Spark Book Fairs

For over five decades, book fairs have sparked a love of reading in millions of children. We still remember the feeling of excitement when our parents gave us a few dollars to buy any book we wanted and the joy of delving into a new adventure. Reading brought us closer to our parents and helped us learn and grow, which gave our teachers fulfillment, too.

However, the world today is different from when this tradition began, with parents struggling to make ends meet and schools facing budget cuts. This is where Spark Book Fairs comes in. It’s a new online book fair program aimed at igniting a passion for reading at home and school by making books affordable to everyone while raising funds for schools.

Not Your Average Book Fair

Spark Book Fairs was designed in consultation with teachers and librarians to provide a more inclusive book fair option. With over 45,000 titles at bargain prices, the whole community can get in on the fun. Finding affordable books for all ages, from kids to adults, and enjoying the joy of reading has never been easier. Plus, you’re raising much-needed funds for your school. Isn’t that a win-win?

What Makes Spark Book Fairs Unique

For many years, your options for book fair providers were limited. Spark Book Fairs is here to change that—with a more affordable and convenient book fair option. What specifically makes Spark unique? Let us break it down.

Affordable bargain prices

With the same great bargain product you know and love (and more!), Spark passes the incredible savings to book fair participants. The lower prices mean more books for students and their families.

Large title selection

With over 45,000 titles across hundreds of publishers for all ages, the variety of books available has never been better. Plus, with new arrivals added to inventory daily, the options are always fresh and exciting.

Wide audience reach

With the all-age content and the online model, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and community members can relive the joy of their childhood book fair with Spark. Since Spark is entirely online, anyone can partake from the comfort of their homes, with all orders shipped directly to their doors.

Unlimited cash back opportunity

With 20% cash back on every book fair purchase, fundraising has never been easier. Redeem your rewards as cash for your school’s current needs or in the form of Spark book credit. The choice is yours.

Helping You Every Step of the Way

We know that trying something new can be daunting, but hosting a book fair with Spark is a very simple process. You have an account coordinator to ensure you are supported every step of the way—before, during, and after your book fair—so the event runs smoothly and raises as much money as possible.

See for yourself just how easy running a Spark book fair can be.

Register your organization: Go to sparkbookfairs.com (USA) or sparkbookfairs.ca (Canada) to create an account and select your two-week book fair period.
Create your landing page: Using a provided template, create a customized landing page that’s all yours.
Promote. Promote. Promote: Advertise your book fair using provided promotional materials in-person and across email and social media platforms. The more you promote, the greater the cash back opportunity.
Redeem fundraising dollars: Redeem the 20% cash back earned on all orders placed during your book fair by either a cheque or with Spark book credit.
Earn all year long: Continue raising funds by earning 5% cash back after your book fair is complete so you can fundraise all year.

Gone are the days of feeling exhausted after running a book fair. No more physical setup. No more volunteer coordination. No more cash handling. No more book distribution. With Spark, you can focus on what matters most—getting books into the hands of your students while earning cash to meet your fundraising needs.

A Book Fair for Everyone

Who said that book fairs can only be for elementary and middle schools? With Spark’s vast title selection and fully online platform, a Spark book fair is also an excellent option for high schools, public libraries, and nonprofit organizations looking for a new fundraising opportunity.

Get Started with Spark Today

Create your book fair in minutes and start fundraising for your organization. Together, let’s cultivate a love for reading and empower individuals to reach their fullest potential through the power of books.

Learn more:

United States: sparkbookfairs.com

Canada: sparkbookfairs.ca 

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Exterior of Book Depot and American Book Company

Book Depot and American Book Company – Together We Are Stronger

August 11, 2022

Over eight months ago already, Book Depot announced the acquisition of American Book Company (ABC), headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. Until this point, the bargain book industry had never seen an acquisition on this scale, and we are very excited about the positive impact this will have on our customers, publisher partners, employees, and all our stakeholders. As a combined entity, we have over 1.5 million square feet of warehouse space, employ more than 600 team members, and have exclusive arrangements for books from all the major publishers and a host of mid-tier publishing companies. Read on to learn a little more about our history together and why this acquisition is great news for you!

Where It Began

I met Pat O’Connor, President of American Book Company, over 20 years ago at the Spring Book Show in Atlanta, Georgia, even before I was with Book Depot. We instantly built a great rapport, and the friendship has only grown over the years, ultimately culminating in our business deal last December. Not only have we had a great friendship with ABC for many years, but we have done business with each other for over 20 years, with ABC being a key supplier to Book Depot. I believe this is a very important part of the story since this acquisition, or what I personally like to refer to as a partnership, is not two corporate strangers deciding to do a deal and then trying to figure out how to make it work. Prior to December, we intimately knew each other already, both on a personal and a corporate level. Our relationship is one built on years of trust, and it is on this foundation that we have mapped out a plan for the future that will continue to leverage each other’s strengths for the benefit of our customers.

Investing in the Bargain Book Industry

Over the last 12 years, Book Depot has invested over $15M USD in technology and automation to help scale our business and ultimately deliver a better customer experience that provides you with a greater selection of titles and industry best fill rates and delivery times. Having completed the transaction with American Book Company, we are thrilled to be able to deliver on our promise of being a “One Stop Shop” for all your bargain book needs.

As evidenced by our investments over the years, Book Depot continues to take the long-term view on the bargain book industry. We wouldn’t be investing millions of dollars if we didn’t believe in the future of books or the future of our company. Rather than taking out as much of the profits as possible, we continue to invest for the long term in order to deliver the best customer experience in the industry. I’m excited to say that we continue to push the limits of technology. Last year was no exception as we went live with our second book sortation machine and automated carton packing machines. New automation equipment enables us to sort more books, process them quicker, and assist us in providing you with an even better selection of titles.

One Stop Shop

However, all the infrastructure and systems are worthless if we couldn’t offer you the quality product that we have. Together with ABC, we have agreements in place so that shopping here gives you access to bargain books from all the major publishers and many smaller imprints. During the past six months, we added some key new suppliers that have complemented our mix to the point where I am confident in saying that our combined selection has never been better in all the years of being in this business.

Increased Book Selection

One of the exciting things about our partnership with ABC is learning from one another to leverage our unique abilities. ABC has always had access to large amounts of warehouse space, while Book Depot has often been constrained by space over the last ten years. With this acquisition, we will now have a much larger footprint with the lease of a one million square foot distribution center in Jefferson City, TN. This nearly triples our square footage in North America! With more space available to our combined companies, we will be able to purchase even larger deals from the publishers and process even more books. If you shop our website regularly, you will already have noticed a significant increase in the volume of new books available for sale as we have increased our inbound processing in a big way over the past six weeks. These volumes will now be the norm as we streamline our collective operations. Be on the lookout for an avalanche of books in the coming months!

Consistent Book Supply

We’ve spoken a lot about our investment in technology and automation at Book Depot over the years, and I’m excited to share the news that we are already well underway with our first major project at the ABC warehouse in Tennessee. Earlier this year, we signed a contract with one of the big five publishers to begin processing all their US returns as of January 1, 2023. This is by far one of the most exciting initiatives our companies have seen in the last 20 years. We are truly on the verge of a major transformation in the industry. With this contract, retailers in the US will now send their returns directly to our warehouse. We will process the returns on behalf of the publisher and ultimately purchase the books they would have sold us in the ordinary course of our business together.

As freight, warehousing, and labour costs continue to skyrocket, publishers see the need to remove waste out of the supply chain. By partnering together, we can create a more sustainable future for the publishing industry. This will help drive waste out of the supply chain and continue to provide you with a steady supply of fresh new bargain books. As we scale up our returns processing business and roll out our plan with more publishers, we will be working hard to drive costs down in an era of continued price pressure. With more investment in automation, our desire is to ensure that you will continue to have access to bargain books at great prices and with exceptional service for years to come.

“All-In” on the Bargain Book Business

Ultimately, we are delighted to be partnered with American Book Company. This acquisition is part of our ongoing growth strategy to invest in the bargain book industry. As we see continued consolidation in the publishing business, it is becoming clearer that publishers require large partners that can provide turnkey inventory solutions for their remainders, overstocks and returns. Bringing together two of the industry’s key players gives us that ability. We are “all-in” on the bargain book business and look forward to continue serving you, our customers, for many more years to come. Thank you for putting your trust in us over so many years and allowing us to serve you.

Wilf Wikkerink

CEO

Book Depot

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Book Depot Inc. Acquires American Book Company

December 8, 2021

(Thorold, Ontario, December 8, 2021) – Book Depot, North America’s largest bargain book distributor based in Thorold, Ontario has acquired American Book Company headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. Discussions began earlier in the year and culminated in the deal being signed on December 3. “This acquisition is part of our ongoing growth strategy to invest in the bargain book industry and we are delighted to partner with American Book Company,” said Wilf Wikkerink, CEO of Book Depot. “As we see continued consolidation in the publishing business it is also becoming clearer that publishers require large partners that are able to provide turnkey inventory solutions for their remainders, overstocks and returns, and bringing together two of the industry’s key players gives us that ability.”

Dean Winegardner, CEO of American Book Company had this to say about the acquisition, “We are thrilled to be partnering with Book Depot who has shown their commitment to our industry with their enormous investment in technology and innovation over the last ten years. ABC and Book Depot are looking forward to leveraging our respective strengths for the benefit of our customers, publishers, employees, and all our stakeholders.” Pat O’Connor is remaining as President of American Book Company, while Dean Winegardner is leaving the industry after 33 years to expand the other ABCO Companies.

About Book Depot (www.bookdepot.com)

Book Depot has been a leader in the wholesale bargain book business for over 35 years. Their 500,000-square-foot production facility, equipped with state-of-the-art automated order fulfillment technology and 500+ dedicated team members, allows them to deliver on their customers’ needs.

Additional brands within the Book Depot portfolio include Kidsbooks Publishing LLC and their B2C websites: BookOutlet.com, Kidsbooks.com and Lillypost.com, a children’s book subscription box.

A strong culture of innovation and growth has been key to Book Depot’s success as they consistently strive to deliver an exceptional customer experience. Combined with this strong culture is their core purpose of Enchanting the Mind – one book at a time. The importance of reading and the belief that books should be accessible to all is the driving force for their operations. For more information, visit www.bookdepot.com.

About American Book Company (www.americanbookco.com)

American Book Company is a leading distributor of remainder, promotional and bargain-priced books. Founded by Dean Winegardner in 1997, ABC became an ESOP (employee stock-owned company) in 2006. ABC has built its business partnering with most major publishing companies purchasing their overstocks and returns. With a million square foot warehouse and an inventory of over 25 million units, they prepare turn-key, retail-ready book displays to service major retailers in the dollar, grocery and discount markets. ABC has leveraged its systems and infrastructure to provide third-party logistics services, including reverse logistics, for mid-size publishers and consumer packaged goods companies. ABC also owns Book Warehouse, a chain of 36 bargain retail book stores primarily located in outlet malls across the US.

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Customer Success Story: Royal Botanical Gardens

October 24, 2018

Royal Botanical Gardens’ Background

Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) is the largest botanical garden in Canada, a national historic site, and registered charitable organization with a mandate to bring together people, plants, and nature. RBG protects and restores over 2,000 acres of nature sanctuaries and creates gardens that beautify the landscape. They also serve tourists and locals by hosting events and educating about the work they do through tours and their gift shop. RBG’s gift shop sells educational games, garden decor, figurines, books for kids and adults alike, and much more.

RBG’s began selling bargain books in 2008 and became a Book Depot customer in 2009. Since then, their sales have continued to grow year after year. What started out as an endcap of bargain books to give them a try soon grew to two endcaps – one for adults and one for kids. With the demand for more, RBG continued to expand their bargain book selection by branching out to tables in front of the gift shop and even added two additional rolling racks. Even with the extra display space focused on books, they still receive interest for more; however, due to a lack of space, the gift shop physically can’t add any more.

Solution

With RBG’s demand for bargain books continually increasing, they had to get creative with their space to maximize sales. By purchasing more books than they are able to display at one time, RBG can rotate their available stock to keep their displays updated. Book Depot’s variety gives RBG the freedom to cater their selection to their customer base during the interests of the season as well as their special exhibits.

Results

Increase in Sales: RBG’s bargain book sales have increased tenfold over the last ten years.

Not only does Royal Botanical Gardens have tourists visiting the gift shop, but since carrying bargain books, they also have regulars who come with the intent to buy books. By offering a wider variety of items that appeal to the interests of their customer base, RBG has done what many gift shops do not do and that is appeal to a regular stream of locals. By doing so, they have been able to increase their store’s traffic on a day-to-day basis while ultimately increasing store sales.

Quote

“Book Depot offers us a great selection of books at great prices, which we pass on to our customers. This has made us a destination for many people in our area. Books have become one of the top-selling categories in our gift shop.”

Linda Palichuk, Gift Shop Manager – Royal Botanical Gardens

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Book Industry Articles: Non-Fiction Continue to Eclipse Fiction

October 17, 2018

The publishing industry is kind of like the movie business. There are always new things coming out – some good, some not so good, and some blockbusters that have a huge impact on the industry for a period of time. For example, the Harry Potter and Twilight series both made a splash on page and screen and dominated the industry for years. However, trends are shifting and non-fiction book sales are on the rise. In fact, non-fiction sales have eclipsed fiction since 2013, and the gap has continued to grow.

Forbes recently released an article looking at this trend of non-fiction sales outperforming fiction. The article goes on to present specific revenue figures to put each category comparison into content. Take a read:

Traditional Publishers Are Selling Way More Non-Fiction Than Fiction

Author: Adam Rowe

Original Article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamrowe1/2018/08/30/traditional-publishers-are-selling-way-more-non-fiction-than-fiction/

In the publishing industry, adult non-fiction revenues are soaring above fiction revenues and have been widening the gap for the past five years. Adult non-fiction revenue totalled $6.18 billion across the publishing industry in 2017, while adult fiction revenues reached $4.3 billion, according to Penguin Random House, using data from Association of American Publishers (AAP), the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, and Bookscan.

2013 was the last year that the adult fiction category beat non-fiction in revenue (at $5.21 billion in revenue to non-fiction’s $4.82 billion). Revenues for adult non-fiction have rapidly risen every year since: $4.97 billion in 2014, $5.59 billion in 2015, $5.87 billion in 2016, and finally $6.18 billion last year. In the same five-year period, adult fiction revenues dropped from a high of $5.21 billion in 2013 to 2017’s low of $4.38 billion.

Revenues in the Children’s and Young Adult fiction and non-fiction category, meanwhile, have remained below both adult categories for the five-year period, except for 2016, when it reached $4.47 billion, besting the adult fiction revenues of $4.43 billion.

One caveat should accompany these numbers before we start reporting the death of adult fiction, however: The numbers only account for traditionally published books, and any fiction or non-fiction from the not-insignificant indie self-publishing community is not included. As publishing expert Jane Friedman noted in a Twitter comment about the findings, “The market for fiction may not be shrinking overall, but it may be shrinking for traditional publishers if indie authors’ cheaper titles look more attractive to avid fiction readers.”

The data was presented in an August report from Penguin Random House, though their main focus was on the stability of the book publishing industry. Revenue is largely flat: Overall revenues clocked in at $14.7 billion for 2017, up 0.4% from 2016. “Notable trends during this time period include a rebound in trade (consumer) books and continued double-digit growth for audio,” the report notes. “While ebook sales declined (-4.7%) for the third consecutive year, the pace of decline appears to be slowing down.”

Don’t expect the publishing industry’s impressive non-fiction revenues to change when the data from this year arrives: Given the consistent successes that political tell-alls have enjoyed this year, the adult non-fiction category is continuing strong.

It will be no surprise to hear that political tell-alls have been dominant in the non-fiction category as of recent years. Since the 2016 election, there has been more interest than ever in political non-fiction titles, as consumers want an inside look of the current running of the US government. Variety recently produced an article discussing President Trump’s effect on the publishing industry:

Trump Powers Boom Time for Book Publishers

Author: Brent Lang

Original Article: https://variety.com/2018/biz/news/trump-political-book-sales-increase-1202947911/

President Donald Trump may not be much of a reader, but he’s been a gift to book publishers.

Sales of political books are up 25% year to date, according to NPD Group, powered by such headline-grabbing best-sellers as James Comey’s “A Higher Loyalty,” Michael Wolff’s “Fire and Fury,” and Omarosa Manigault Newman’s “Unhinged.” These novels paint a portrait of a White House in turmoil, but some are pro-Trump tomes, such as “Liars, Leakers, and Liberals,” a fiery defense of the 45th president from Fox News’ Judge Jeanine Pirro.

“There’s a lot going on in the cultural zeitgeist, and that’s translating into increased book sales,” said Kristen McLean, executive director of business development at NPD. “People want to understand what’s going on right now.”

The literary boom is somewhat ironic. Although Trump is a best-selling author of (ghostwritten) books such as “The Art of the Deal,” he’s said he doesn’t care much for reading. He is said to like short memos with lots of bullets. Whereas George W. Bush and Barack Obama used to publish summer reading lists, Trump seems to spend most of his R&R time on the golf course at one of his clubs or watching Fox News.

Non-fiction sales, particularly of political and self-help books, have helped lift a publishing industry at a time when the popularity of fiction is in decline. Sales volume of print books rose 2% in the first half of 2018, with adult non-fiction print book sales jumping 4% to 136 million units, while fiction print sales declined 4% to 63 million units. “Fire and Fury,” Wolff’s scathing look at the president, and “A Higher Loyalty,” a memoir of former FBI chief Comey, sold the first and third most copies of any book during that period, respectively.

At the moment, one book is flying off shelves. That’s Bob Woodward’s “Fear: Trump in the White House,” which had the highest first-week sales of any book in Simon & Schuster’s nearly 100-year history, moving 1.1 million copies. The legendary investigative journalist has inspired Twitter rants from Trump after reporting that White House aides have worked to undermine the president in order to prevent him from imperiling national security. Lexi Beach, the owner of Astoria Bookshop in Queens, said “Fear” sold out immediately, and half of the replacement shipment she ordered is already reserved for customers eager to dig into Woodward’s depiction of an unhinged commander-in-chief.

But “Fear” isn’t an anomaly. Beach said when she first opened Astoria Bookshop five years ago, there wasn’t much demand for books about Beltway drama. That changed with the 2016 election.

“That shifted things,” Beach said. “Particularly after Trump won, we had a lot more demand for books about activism and political engagement.”

Christine Onorati, the owner of Word, a bookstore with branches in Greenpoint and Jersey City, said political titles have always sold well at her shop. She has noticed a spike in interest surrounding historical titles, particularly books about the World War II era and Richard Nixon, another scandal-plagued president.

“People really want to understand how we got here,” Onorati said. “They’re putting a new set of eyes on history. The past has become a little more relevant.”

Of course, not even trade wars, border walls, and Russian collusion can trump the popularity of some cultural phenomenons.

“Nothing’s outselling ‘Crazy Rich Asians,’” Beach said. “That’s the book I can’t keep in stock.”

Comment below and let us know your thoughts on these trends!

Jennifer Harwood

Sales Representative

Book Depot

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Oddball Authors

September 12, 2018

For centuries, authors have been providing us with great stories of adventure, mystery, romance, comedy, and so much more. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering how they do it, you’re not alone! We were curious too, so we set out to find the quirkiest routines and most superstitious beliefs that have transpired behind the scenes to create some of the greatest pieces of literature in history. But don’t take our word for it; without further ado, here’s our list—we hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did compiling it.

Victor Hugo (1802-1885)

Most known for: Les Misérables

Victor Hugo’s antics while writing The Hunchback of Notre Dame on a very tight schedule is the perfect way to start the list. In order to hit his deadline, Victor put himself on self-imposed house arrest for months, knowing that he would have to start paying fines if he didn’t hit his February 1831 deadline! He locked his clothes away to avoid any temptations to leave and only allowed himself to keep one grey shawl so he would be forced to stay inside and write.¹

James Joyce (1882 – 1941)

Most known for: Ulysses

James Joyce was known for writing while lying on his stomach in bed with a large blue pencil, donning a white coat. Since James was nearly blind, the large writing utensil helped him see what he was writing and the white coat helped reflect more light onto the page. A typewriter would have helped him write easier and faster; however, he straight out refused because he was always seeking the “perfect order of words in the sentence” and wanted to write at his own pace and in his own hand. After what James would have considered a productive day, he would have completed two sentences.²

Edith Sitwell (1887-1964)

Most known for: Still Falls the Rain

British poet Edith Sitwell found inspiration in confined spaces. Before she would start writing for the day, Edith would always clear her mind by laying in an open coffin.³

Agatha Christie (1890-1976)

Most known for: Murder on the Orient Express

Agatha Christie had her own favorite writing place—in the bathtub. When she was renovating her home, Agatha had one request for the architect: “I want a big bath and I need a ledge because I like to eat apples.” For her, it was not about indulging; the bathtub was her prime work space.⁴

Agatha Christie books available here.

Vladimir Nabokov (1899-1977)

Most known for: Lolita

Vladimir Nabokov wrote entire novels on index cards. This allowed him to write scenes non-sequentially, as he could then easily rearrange the cards as he wished. Fun fact: his novel Ada was written on more than 2,000 cards.⁵

Nabokov in America: On the Road to Lolita available here.

Thomas Wolfe (1900-1938)

Most known for: Look Homeward, Angel

Thomas Wolfe gave himself a writing quota of ten pages, triple-spaced, every day. Not only did he have a page count to meet, but Thomas would also do this daily writing while leaning over his refrigerator since he was so tall (6’6” to be exact).⁶

Thomas Wolfe’s You Can’t Go Home Again available here.

Eudora Welty (1909-2001)

Most known for: The Optimist’s Daughter

Eudora Welty used to straight-pin her stories together in strips so they could be seen as a whole as she wrote. Welty even mentioned to a friend once that “[w]hen the stories got too long for the room I took them up on the bed or table [and] pinned and that’s when my worst stories were like patchwork quilts, you could almost read them in any direction.”⁷

Anthony Burgess (1917-1993)

Most known for: A Clockwork Orange

Anthony’s tool to fight off writer’s block was a dictionary. When he found himself stuck while writing, he would grab a dictionary and attempt to use every last word on the page he opened. When he would come across the need to describe a dull object, he would use the same strategy by attempting to use every word on the page in the description alone.⁸

Truman Capote (1924-1984)

Most known for: In Cold Blood

While some authors had unique writing habits, Truman Capote brought his superstitions into his writing process. He “wouldn’t begin or end a piece of work on a Friday, would change hotel rooms if the room phone number involved the number 13, and never left more than three cigarette butts in his ashtray.”⁹

Truman Capote’s A Christmas Memory available here.

Maya Angelou (1928-2014)

Most known for: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Maya Angelou wouldn’t write from the comfort of her own home but would instead rent a hotel room on a monthly basis. She would routinely start at the crack of dawn right until the early afternoon. Nobody would be allowed to enter during that time unless it was to clear out items in the room to remove distractions. The only items she allowed exceptions for were “a bottle of sherry, a dictionary, Roget’s Thesaurus, yellow pads, an ashtray, and a Bible.”¹⁰

Maya Angelou books available here.

Stephen King (1947-present)

Most known for: The Shining

Stephen King may be known for his horror writings but that does not mean he is impervious to fear. Stephen King suffers from triskaidekaphobia – fear of the number 13. He has said that, “[w]hen I’m writing, I’ll never stop work if the page number is 13 or a multiple of 13; I’ll just keep on typing till I get to a safe number. When I’m reading, I won’t stop on page 94, 193, or 382, since the sums of these numbers add up to 13.”¹¹

The Stephen King Companion available here.

George R.R. Martin (1948-present)

Most know for: A Song of Ice and Fire Series

George R.R. Martin considers himself “a man of the 20th century” because he still writes with a DOS computer that is not connected to the Internet. He uses WordStar 4.0 as his word-processing system and says that this program (released in the late ’70s) “does everything I want a word processing program to do and it doesn’t do anything else. I don’t want any help. I hate some of these modern systems where you type a lowercase letter and it becomes a capital. I don’t want a capital. If I wanted a capital I would have typed a capital.”¹²

George R.R. Martin books available here.

Dan Brown (1964-present)

Most known for: Angels & Demons

Dan Brown concentrates on his writing by putting on a pair of gravity boots and hanging upside down since he believes inversion therapy helps with his writing process. On top of that, he also keeps an hourglass on his desk so that on the hour, every hour, he sets aside his work to do push-ups, sit-ups, and other exercises.¹³

Dan Brown’s Angels & Demons available here.

J.K. Rowling (1965-present)

Most known for: Harry Potter Series

J.K. Rowling refuses to title a piece during the writing process and has said that she will only type up the title page once the book is completely finished.¹⁴

Valerie Stark

Marketing Coordinator

Book Depot

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¹ Joyce, James. 1966. Letters of James Joyce. London: Faber and Faber.

² Johnson, Celia Blue. 2013. Odd Type Writers. New York: TarcherPerigee.

³ Ackerman, Diane. 1990. A Natural History of the Senses. Vintage Books USA.

⁴ Johnson, Celia Blue. 2013. Odd Type Writers. New York: TarcherPerigee.

⁵ Ackerman, Diane. 1990. A Natural History of the Senses. Vintage Books USA.

⁶ Wolfe, Tom. 1991. “Tom Wolfe, The Art of Fiction No. 123.” The Paris Review (118). https://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/2226/tom-wolfe-the-art-of-fiction-no-123-tom-wolfe.

⁷ Marrs, Suzanne. 2011. What There Is to Say We Have Said: The Correspondence of Eudora Welty and William Maxwell. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

⁸ Illuminati, Chris. 2017. “10 Odd Writing Habits Of Famous Authors.” https://www.oddee.com/list/odd-writing-habits-famous-authors/.

⁹ Inge, M. Thomas. 1987. Truman Capote: Conversations. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi.

¹⁰ Angelou, Maya. 1990. “Maya Angelou, The Art of Fiction No. 119.” The Paris Review (116).

¹¹ Rogak, Lisa. 2009. Haunted Heart: The Life and Times of Stephen King. New York: Thomas Dunne Books.

¹² Martin, George R.R. 2014. “Game of Thrones author George RR Martin: ‘Why I still use DOS’.” BBC. http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-27407502.

¹³ Henley, Jon. 2013. “How Dan Brown and other authors defeat writer’s block.” The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/books/shortcuts/2013/may/13/dan-brown-authors-writers-block.

¹⁴ Rowling, J.K. 2015. “The Weird World Of Writer Superstitions.” Writers Relief. http://writersrelief.com/blog/2015/10/writer-superstitions/.

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Book Industry Trends

September 5, 2018

As a bookseller, one of the fun aspects of our job is identifying trends that we notice from within the broad spectrum of accounts Book Depot works with. While some of the trends may be unique to one account’s particular industry or location, others may be considered on a larger scale and are applicable to all the accounts we work with. As sales people, we may not always be right when it comes to our intuitions, though I must confess it’s always fun trying to keep up with the times and knowing what our customers like best!

To name a few examples, we could look at the Who Is/Who Was series that has been a great success within recent years. If you were to look at our sales history for these titles, you would find that they have been popular within libraries, educational retailers/distributors, and children’s book fair industries. Another example is to look at stores that focus on music and pop-culture. Obvious trends you might notice are musicians who are growing in popularity, or perhaps you might see increased sales with books relating to a movie when it is released in theatres.

I’m sure by this point, you get where I am going in regard to trends, but what about the less obvious ones? It can be more difficult to discover trends when you aren’t looking at an overall category, though the insight to be found is all the more intriguing. As a brief synopsis, I’ve compiled some interesting trends that I’ve researched from within the book industry. While these trends may not be accurate to every book retailer, hopefully you’ll find these examples as interesting to read as I did. Furthermore, if there are any trends you’ve noticed in your own stores, we’d love to hear from you by commenting below the article!

Anxiety / Finding Happiness

One of the more interesting reports recently is that sales analysis at Barnes & Noble reported a 26% increase in sales of books that are relating to anxiety.¹ Conversely, books about finding happiness have grown by a substantial 83% within one year. While there’s numerous opinions and reasons as to why this may be happening, it’s a good reflection as to the motivation people have for self-improvement.

Horror Sales at Four-Year High

TV shows such as Stranger Things and movies such as Stephen King’s IT are being credited with helping titles with horror and ghostly subject matter reach a four-year high in the UK.² I’ve found it difficult to find similar data pertaining to Canada or the United States, though my personal observations would align with this. At Book Depot, we’ve been fortunate to regularly receive some of Stephen King’s greatest works; however, as you can imagine, they tend to sell quickly!

Rise of the Independent Bookstore

According to the American Book Association, there was a 35% increase of independent book stores opening between 2009 and 2015.³ This has driven the total number of independent bookstores to an excess of 2,300 in total as noted by the ABA.

Though this news is not necessarily new, I thought this was worth noting as it’s a great indication of the overall health of our industry. Book Depot has welcomed working with independent bookstores from all corners of the globe, and we always find it interesting to see the unique and regional selections they choose to purchase when working with us.

Increased Collaboration Between the Comic & Gaming Industries

While there is no doubting the size of the gaming community, there may be a wave or movement to capitalize on the substantial size of the industry by having more comics-oriented publishers collaborate with gaming developers. Sales of comics and graphic novels totalled an estimated $1 billion revenue in North America in 2017, while data according to SuperData Research puts the total for video gaming in excess of $108 billion.⁴Though some of those developers may already have a published brand, others who do not may seek to close the gap between the value of the comic/graphic novel industry versus that of video games.

Soaring Popularity for Political Books

With the incredible sales driven by James Comey’s A Higher Loyalty (over 600,000 copies sold in its first week) and Michael Wolff’s Fire and Fury (over 2,200,000 copies sold so far this year), it should come as no surprise that the adult nonfiction segment has reported an increase of 4% during the first half of 2018.⁵ Books that are political in nature have taken center stage through much of this year and intriguingly enough, this popularity has crossed categories into both the children’s and fiction categories respectively, while titles such as A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo (by John Oliver) and The President in Missing (a collaboration by James Patterson and Bill Clinton) have topped the charts.

As there are more books yet to be released by both Michelle and Barack Obama later this year, all indications are that this trend won’t be slowing down anytime soon.

Poetry in the United Kingdom

Reports from the UK note that there has been an increase of 66% in poetry book sales over the past five years.⁶ According to a survey by Taking Part Survey, 3.1% of the adult population in England wrote their own form of poetry in 2015/2016.

View our poetry book selection here.

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) Making Its Rounds Internationally

General feedback being shared from book fairs such as the Taipei Book Fair and Bologna Book Fair are indicating that there has been a growing trend towards books relating to STEM subjects. From my own observation, I’ve seen numerous accounts taking a focus on this type of title. In particular, this has been evident with titles we have by Miles Kelly, but also with reading series such as the earlier mentioned Who Is series, as well as titles within the Ready to Read, I Can Read, Penguin Young Readers and other reading series that are similar in nature.

Paul Eccles

Book Depot

Sales Representative

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¹ Green, Dennis. 2018. Barnes & Noble says books about anxiety are trending because ‘we may be living in an anxious nation’. August 1. Accessed August 31, 2018. https://www.businessinsider.com/barnes-and-noble-anxiety-book-sales-trending-2018-8.

² Lyons, Izzy. 2018. Horror fiction sales at four-year high after a glut of supernatural series and films. July 14. Accessed August 2018, 2018. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/07/14/horrorfictionsales-four-year-high-glut-supernatural-series-films/.

³ Raffaelli, Ryan, interview by Paddy Hirsch. 2018. Why The Number Of Independent Bookstores Increased During The ‘Retail Apocalypse’ (March 29). Accessed August 31, 2018. https://www.npr.org/2018/03/29/598053563/why-the-number-of-independent-bookstores-increased-during-the-retail-apocalypse.

⁴ Salkowitz, Rob. 2018. Ready Reader One: Game Developers Look Toward Comics. August 10. Accessed August 31, 2018. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/comics/article/77744-ready-reader-one-game-developers-look-toward-comics.html.

⁵ Milliot, Jim. 2018. Print Unit Sales Rose 2% in First Half of 2018. July 6. Accessed August 31, 2018. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/financial-reporting/article/77441-print-unit-sales-rose-2-in-first-half-of-2018.html.

⁶ Onwuemezi, Natasha. 2018. Poetry sales are booming, LBF hears. April 13. Accessed August 31, 2018. https://www.thebookseller.com/news/poetry-summit-766826.

Sidebar

What’s Hot, What’s Not at Book Depot

June 14, 2018

Bookstore owner: “For this buyers’ job, we need someone who is responsible.”
Applicant: “I’m the one you want. In my last job, every time there was a problem, they said I was responsible.”

Sound like someone you know? Have you ever been the “responsible” buyer for some duds? I’m quite sure we’ve all had our share of purchases that never materialized into profitable sales. Let’s admit it—it can be difficult to select all winners when we have a store or chain of stores to keep fully stocked with great titles that appeal to our customer base. This blog will hopefully help you a bit in discovering what’s hot and what’s not in the world of bargain books.

As one of North America’s largest purchasers of bargain books, Book Depot gets a huge selection of titles arriving every day. As a point of interest, we are now sorting 400 pallets of bargain books per week! Some of the product that finds its way into our inventory is like pure gold and sells out quickly. At the other end of the spectrum are books that have lost their relevance and salability. These will be quickly separated (often at the point of initial sortation) and recycled into various paper-based products. In between, where the bulk of our inventory falls, are good to great titles that you as a buyer need to sift through and decide what may or may not sell in your store(s).

Based on the last six months of sales at Book Depot and interviews with several of our seasoned sales reps, we have the following information you may find helpful:

What’s Hot:

Kids’ titles that have a STEM component (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics)
Kids’ titles with a different format like sound books, lift-the-flap, and box sets
Fiction continues to sell very well, and in some cases, trade paper outsells hardcover due to the lower price point and less bulky format
Political books relating to recent events and certain individuals – any guesses on this one?
Inspirational and self-help titles, especially when linked to a well-known individual or celebrity
Brick-and-mortar stores do well with kids’ storybooks and board books that don’t necessarily need to be written by a big-name author, but instead, have a nice quality about them. Here is where the touch and feel experience makes all the difference
Adult colouring books, but a lower price point is key to successful sales
Cookbooks that are written by celebrities and/or deal with vegan and gluten-free content

What’s Not So Hot:

Generic cookbooks, especially those without rich, colourful content
Computer and Internet
Education
Sports and Recreation
Low-end paperback romance

In summary, content that is freely available on the internet tends not to sell well in printed form. Maybe it goes without saying, but high-quality content that is relevant (or timeless), priced well, entertaining, and worth sharing is going to find a customer and enrich their lives.

With over 50,000 current titles in stock, we have a huge selection of great books. Below is a special list of 35 top-selling titles at Book Depot, recommended by our sales staff, for your buying consideration:

ISBN	Title	Category	List Price (USD)	Our Price (USD)
9780062651754	Pharaoh (A Novel of Ancient Egypt)	Fiction	$19.99	$2.25
9781250045478	Victoria	Fiction	$16.99	$3.50
9780425280126	Island of Glass (Guardians Trilogy, Bk. 3)	Fiction	$17.00	$2.50
9780765377043	Children of the Fleet (Fleet School, Bk. 1)	Fiction	$25.99	$3.75
9781501124389	Everyone Brave is Forgiven	Fiction	$16.00	$2.25
9780684822761	In Our Time	Fiction	$14.00	$3.50
9781250075857	Mind Game (Eve Duncan)	Fiction	$27.99	$4.50
9781250119889	You Are Here: An Owner’s Manual for Dangerous Minds	Humor	$15.99	$2.50
9780062568892	Victoria: The Heart and Mind of a Young Queen	History & Geography	$29.99	$5.00
9781250080431	Pogue’s Basics: Life	House & Home	$19.99	$3.25
9781250087256	Obsessed! (Hungry Girl, Clean & Hungry)	Cooking, Food & Wine	$21.99	$4.50
9781250127761	The How Not to Die Cookbook	Cooking, Food & Wine	$29.99	$6.50
9780894803123	Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book	Cooking, Food & Wine	$10.95	$2.50
9780062409706	Nevertheless: A Memoir	Biography & Autobiography	$28.99	$3.25
9780312553685	I’d Know You Anywhere, My Love	Children Fiction	$17.99	$3.00
9780448437477	The Night Before First Grade	Children Fiction	$3.99	$1.00
9780451534040	The Crayons’ Book of Colors	Children Fiction	$8.99	$2.25
9781848698611	My Book of Animal Babies	Children Fiction	$8.95	$2.00
9781848698567	One Rainy Day	Children Fiction	$8.95	$2.00
9781474821483	Snowflakes and Sparkles Coloring Book with Crayons (Disney Frozen)	Children Fiction	$4.99	$1.00
9781474821490	Hopes and Heroes Coloring Book with Crayons (Disney Pixar)	Children Fiction	$4.99	$1.00
9781474821681	Dare to Dream Paint Palette Book (Disney Pixar)	Children Fiction	$7.99	$2.00
9781481492201	Daniel Tiger’s 5-Minute Stories (Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood)	Children Fiction	$12.99	$2.75
9780689832130	Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type	Children Fiction	$17.99	$3.00
9780374300210	If Animals Kissed Good Night	Children Fiction	$7.99	$2.00
9781680520606	A New Toy Truck (Touch & Feel Busy Workshop)	Children Fiction	$12.99	$3.25
9781680520743	Brave Little Camper	Children Fiction	$12.99	$3.25
9781680520095	First Words Lift-a-Flap Book (Babies Love)	Children Fiction	$7.99	$2.00
9780544454361	Let’s Cook! (Sesame Street)	Children Nonfiction	$17.99	$1.50
9780312522827	First 100 Numbers	Children Nonfiction	$5.99	$1.50
9781250151070	Way of the Warrior Kid	Tweens Fiction	$13.99	$2.50
9780375870644	The Fourteenth Goldfish	Tweens Fiction	$16.99	$3.00
9781484789728	Disney Beauty and the Beast (Art of Coloring)	Crafts & Hobbies	$15.99	$2.00
9780892969982	The Power of I Am: Two Words That Will Change Your Life Today	Religion & Spirituality	$14.99	$3.75
9781455517275	The Mind Connection	Religion & Spirituality	$24.00	$3.75

Bill Van Vliet
CIO
Book Depot

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