How Retail and Wholesale Book Buyers Make Decisions

HOW RETAIL & WHOLESALE BUYERS MAKE DECISIONS

with Steve Elizalde

Customer Behavior

We Judge a Book by Its Cover

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1. Everyone is a judge.

2. < 2 seconds to capture your attention.

3. Browse and glance.

4. When picking up a book, what is the #1 spot people look first?

Interesting Buying Behaviors

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1. Movie Tie-Ins (Hunger Games)2. School Reads (Great Gatsby)3. Word of Mouth (50 Shades of Grey)4. Well Known Author (John Grisham)5. Hunt For New Authors In Favorite Genre6. Don’t Buy Foreign Language Books (Spanish)7. Buy Both Print & Ebooks 8. College Students Gravitating Toward Indie Stores9. Airports Still #1 Brick & Mortar Retailers

Buyer Behavior

Realities of the Market

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1. There are over 4,000 NEW TITLES released per day1. 3 years ago it peaked at nearly 8,000

2. Average Bookstore has room for only a few thousand

3. Average Grocery or Big Box store has room for less than 1,000.

4. Less than 1% of all authors reach a name author status like Stephen King or Nora Roberts

Buyer Timelines

Highly Important to Understand1. 6-7 MONTHS PRIOR TO PUB DATE

A. INITIAL PRESENTATIONS MADE

2. 4-5 MONTHS PRIOR TO PUB DATEA. FOLLOW UP WITH ADVANCED READER COPIES (ARC)

3. 3-4 MONTHS PRIOR TO PUB DATEA. INITIAL QUANTITIES GIVEN

4. 1-2 MONTHS PRIOR TO PUB DATE A. BACKORDERS PLACED

5. 2-3 WEEKS PRIOR TO PUB DATEA. ORDERS RELEASED TO MARKET

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Why Are Timelines So Long?

A. All Store Promotions Planned 6-9 Months In Advance

A. Shelf PlanningB. Display PlanningC. Quantity Planning

B. Helps With Determining Print QuantitiesA. Get Feedback From Buyers

C. Watch PR For BookA. High PR Increases BuysB. Low or No PR Decreases Buys

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7 Factors for Determining Book AcceptanceAll 7 Must Be On Point1. Genre

1. Does it fit their store?2. Price

1. Is it too expensive?3. Binding

1. Hardcover or Paperback?4. Page Count

1. Length determines cost.5. PR/Marketing

1. Yes, you’re in! No, you’re not.6. Platform

1. Personal brand, social media, website.7. Cover

1. Does it convey the message?

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Genre

#1 Reason Books Get DeclinedA. Retailer Demographic

A. Grocery Needs Fiction/RomanceB. Office Supply Store Needs Business

B. Timing is BadA. Diet Books in SummerB. Baseball Books in NovemberC. Children’s Books in Jan/Feb

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Price

Must be AppropriateA. Is Price Appropriate for Genre?

A. Business More Expensive Than FictionB. Is Price Appropriate for Page Count?

A. Customer Needs to Feel ValueC. Is Price Appropriate for Binding?

A. HC generally $20+, Paperback $18 and UnderD. Is Price Appropriate Compared to Others?

A. Must NOT be Overpriced

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Binding

Binding Based on GenreA. Self Help Requires PaperbackB. Business Requires HardcoverC. Fiction Prefers PaperbackD. Social Sciences Prefers Hardcover

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Page Count

Sweet Spot is Between 200-225A. Genre will Determine Floor & CeilingB. General Public Doesn’t Like to Buy Under 150

PagesA. Children’s Books are the Exception

C. Determines Final Price Point

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PR / Marketing

Author Needs to be ActiveA. You Need to Get the Word Out B. Use Social Media & Online MarketingC. Drive People to StoresD. Determines Ultimate Buying Quantity

A. Also Deciding Factor to Bring in a BookE. Signings

A. Not Recommended

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Platform

Bigger the Platform, Better Chance for SuccessA. Buyers Examine Platform Closely

A. LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.B. Number of Followers for Online ActivityC. Can Drive Long-term SalesD. Helps With Direct Sales

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Cover

Capture Customer’s AttentionA. You Have 1-2 sec to Grab Customer’s AttentionB. Must Reflect Content of the BookC. Must be Genre AppropriateD. Must be Eye-catching

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Distributors

Need One to Get inA. 5 Years Ago Not A RequirementB. Stores Don’t Like to Work with Individuals

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QUESTIONS