Another Word About Remainder Marks

Remainder Marks are no longer placed on remainders. Before the age of UPC codes and warehouse scanners, remainder marks were used to indicate that a book was remaindered and could not be returned. Now the books returned to publishers for credit are scanned as they are received and (so we are told) your account is not credited for those which you return after the remainder date. Hurts (see glossary here), not remainders,  are marked. The mark is usually a black dash or line on the bottom edge of the book which can only be seen if you pick up the book and look. Some publishers use other marks. Random House marks its imprints and distributed lines with a red dot. Oxford University Press uses a small rubber stamped OUP in an ellipse. Almost everybody else uses a black marker.

Why Don't I Have a Web Site?

The vendors I represent do not have web sites for a couple of reasons. First, some of the publishers they source from make it a condition of sale that they do not sell the books everywhere to whoever wants them. The other main reason is rights restrictions which come with any wholesale book contract and involve different sales rights in different countries.

Programming a web site to make all of that work would be impossible or too expensive.

I don't have a web site because they don't have web sites. This works to the advantage of my customers. The lists I send you are the same lists the vendors send to the big guys. You are small to medium independent and used bookstores (the only businesses I do business with), so you move faster and get the good stuff before it's gone. It's not plastered all over the web for your competition to grab before you see it.

I have thought about setting up a site to post lists and specials, but it defeats the purpose. I send a limited amount of lists to a limited number of customers at a time and this works great.

On the other hand, IF YOU TAKE A WEEK TO ORDER FROM A LIST I SEND OUT ONCE A WEEK, you don’t get an amazing fill rate. You know who you are.