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News & ArtsFriday, January 22, 2010
Books / Retail On Destroying Books
Posted by Paul Constant on Fri, Jan 22, 2010 at 4:21 PM
Change.org wrote Thursday that the company planned to tear the covers off the books and dump the books so they can't be resold. The destruction of the books is a standard practice in the industry.Borders employees, hoping to shame the company into changing their ways a´ la H&M have formed a Facebook group to support the donation of the books to local libraries and nonprofits instead.
Because of the public scrutiny, Borders is going to donate books to charities. Yay, right? I hate to shatter any illusions out there, but tearing the covers off books and trashing them is standard industry practice; most publishers request the covers of mass market paperbacks as returns, but tell booksellers to toss or recycle the actual books, because shipping them back to the publishers would be ridiculously expensive. Many used bookstores destroy books they can't sell, too. This is all basically the byproduct of a bad system: the way book sales have traditionally gone, publishers are required to overprint massive amounts of titles on publication, and many of those books, if they can't be remaindered, get pulped. Why is it this way? Why don't publishers just figure out a more efficient, un-wasteful way to sell books? Because it's tradition. Shut up and stop asking questions.
1
Just because it's industry practice doesn't mean it's okay.
Obviously, that standard needs changing. That kind of waste ought to be illegal in this day and age.
Obviously, that standard needs changing. That kind of waste ought to be illegal in this day and age.
2
"Why don't publishers just figure out a more efficient, un-wasteful way to sell books? "
They're called e-books. Maybe you've heard of them?
They're called e-books. Maybe you've heard of them?
3
How do you think I got my collection of books with no covers?
(impossible to judge them, besides being free)
(impossible to judge them, besides being free)
4
The reason they do this has to do with the not so trivial matter of paying the authors. Authors would be somewhat less than thrilled to hear "instead of returning or destroying your unsold copies, we gave them all away for free".
5
The Espresso Book Machine model takes the awkwardness of this practice out of the hands and the booksellers for the most part because, aside from a display copy, for example, you don't make the book until you confirm the need for it..
But, yeah, the publishers have taken to the ostrich pose on that one.
And don't get me started on how wasteful chains have been with mass markets and trades., I wasn't surprised Borders was going to do this with their inventory...
But, yeah, the publishers have taken to the ostrich pose on that one.
And don't get me started on how wasteful chains have been with mass markets and trades., I wasn't surprised Borders was going to do this with their inventory...
6
@5, I have an Espresso book, and I'm not so sure. It's a great way to get something unavailable, but it's not the same as a real book either. They're kind of strangely made, with big clamp marks, and the cover seems off a bit. Maybe that's just them learning how to adjust it, I dunno.
8
@6 The technology and quality can always use some evolving (this machine is getting upgrades in Feb; we've had it since November), I don't disagree.
My point is that this model offers the Publishing industry a way to streamline its production costs, putting the costs on the shoulders of the end user/producer (bookstore); they don't have to pay printers for large quantities; they don't have to warehouse them; they don't have to truck them across the country.
Part of the huge amount of waste comes from the chains and their lazy buying practices--they can always return it all or strip books & get credit--independent bookstore have learned through the 90s that to succeed as a business they had to return even less than they used to (it takes more work to process returns out of a store than it's worth), therefore smaller New title orders (because you could quickly get more from the distributors), and better carefully managed backlist.
My point is that this model offers the Publishing industry a way to streamline its production costs, putting the costs on the shoulders of the end user/producer (bookstore); they don't have to pay printers for large quantities; they don't have to warehouse them; they don't have to truck them across the country.
Part of the huge amount of waste comes from the chains and their lazy buying practices--they can always return it all or strip books & get credit--independent bookstore have learned through the 90s that to succeed as a business they had to return even less than they used to (it takes more work to process returns out of a store than it's worth), therefore smaller New title orders (because you could quickly get more from the distributors), and better carefully managed backlist.
9
"Borders employees, hoping to shame the company into changing their ways aŽ la H&M " What was H&M doing, pissing on unsold tartan leg warmers rather than just giving them to the homeless?
10
@8, don't get me wrong; I think the thing is awesome, and I ran up to Lake Forest Park as soon as I heard you got one. And my book with its minor flaws is vastly superior to no book at all, or a $500 first edition, which were my other options.
Just that it's not going to completely replace regular publishing.
I understand your backlist concerns. That's the whole problem with physical bookstores; since you can't read people's minds, you are always going to have a ton of books that people don't want, or don't want very fast, and a bunch of books that people want but you don't have. Unless you have a stock like Powells, which only Powells does.
Just that it's not going to completely replace regular publishing.
I understand your backlist concerns. That's the whole problem with physical bookstores; since you can't read people's minds, you are always going to have a ton of books that people don't want, or don't want very fast, and a bunch of books that people want but you don't have. Unless you have a stock like Powells, which only Powells does.
11
I have several general cookbooks in this condition because barnes and noble does this too.
Usually the covers have to be mailed back to the publisher.
Usually the covers have to be mailed back to the publisher.
12
I get the love for the Book Machine, I really do. And the technology will evolve and get better and the industry will change and the way we read will evolve into something new. It will happen, it has to happen.
However. This technology will not be available ot affordable to the majority of booksellers in this country for some time. And the current state of bookselling is in jeopardy right now. Yesterday, in fact.
I appreciate Vlad's enthusiasm but, as he and others have pointed out, technology alone is not the full story on the bookstore of the future.
I'm just saying...
However. This technology will not be available ot affordable to the majority of booksellers in this country for some time. And the current state of bookselling is in jeopardy right now. Yesterday, in fact.
I appreciate Vlad's enthusiasm but, as he and others have pointed out, technology alone is not the full story on the bookstore of the future.
I'm just saying...
15
So what exactly do thes facebook people think a charity will do with 600 unsold paperbacks of book two of some godawful Lord Of The Rings rip off? Take them to a recycling center probably.
16
I heard about the practice of destroying books from a college art teacher of mine back in the early 00's. And early last year I over heard a conversation at Half Price Books about why they don't accept certain dated children's book. It had something to do with lead used in the inks.
Anyway, I can see the benefit of sending some of the better written unsold/to old to sell (in their opinion) books to charity and the likes but please don't be sending crap such as that Going Rogue book. Just recycle it please.
Anyway, I can see the benefit of sending some of the better written unsold/to old to sell (in their opinion) books to charity and the likes but please don't be sending crap such as that Going Rogue book. Just recycle it please.
18
The only used bookstore that I know of that destroys used books is Half Price. Not exactly an industry standard. I've occasionally tossed a book for being too moldy/soaked in pee/ missing most pages, but otherwise used bookstores donate unwanted but still usable stock. Of course, we don't have to pay the authors or pay to mail the books anywhere, so we can afford to do this.
19
I am having trouble reconciling this sort of practice with publishers' insistence that ebooks cost just as much to create as hardcovers (and therefore should cost the same).
I too spent a long time wondering why print on demand services weren't more common (especially with foreign newspapers and magazines!!), but by the time Espresso arrived I was already a firm ebook user despite Espresso being wtihin the limits of technology for years. Fifteen years ago when I had to interlibrary loan half the books I wanted out of obscurity, it would've been revolutionary. Now? Meh. I can probably download them from gutenberg.org..
I too spent a long time wondering why print on demand services weren't more common (especially with foreign newspapers and magazines!!), but by the time Espresso arrived I was already a firm ebook user despite Espresso being wtihin the limits of technology for years. Fifteen years ago when I had to interlibrary loan half the books I wanted out of obscurity, it would've been revolutionary. Now? Meh. I can probably download them from gutenberg.org..
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