Your Specialty Home Based Alzheimer’s Bookstore – Publisher Discount Basics

   Today we have Guest Blogger, Yvonne Russell, who answers questions about establishing a home based Alzheimer’s Bookstore.  Welcome, Yvonne, to Alzheimer’s Notes.

Your Specialty Home Based Alzheimer’s Bookstore

You’re all fired up to start your own specialist home based bookstore. You’ve chosen your topic, and decided whether your market is face to face customers, web based, or both. Either way, you’ll need books, business savvy and some bookstore operating know how.

Reader Questions – Bookstore Operating Know How

As a follow up to Mary Emma’s post,  Would you like to open a home based Alzheimer’s bookstore?,  Kathy from Know It Alz says a bookstore could be a great addition to her blog. She asks “How do I get permission to resell the books on my website? How many do you have to sell to get a good discount, etc.?”

My Response – Publisher Discounts & Trading Terms

Kathy, I’m assuming you’re referring to selling new books. My suggestion is to choose one or two publishers with a good range of Alzheimer’s related titles, and ask them to send you an account application. Find out their trading terms. While terms vary, many publishers have a starting discount of 30-40% and a minimum order requirement of $150-$300.

As your bookstore business grows, and you have a higher turnover with a particular publisher, you may be able to renegotiate discounts. This may include special one off terms e.g. a higher discount for a very large quantity firm sale (no return).

Why Just One or Two Publishers?

If a customer orders a book you don’t have in stock, you’ll need to put in your minimum order. If you repeat this with a number of suppliers, you can soon end up with a supply which far outweighs demand. You can always add more publishers as you grow.

Remaindered Books – A Good Discount Book Source

Remaindered books in bargain bookstores and factory outlets are usually cheap enough to allow room to add your own profit margin. If you come across a great title, grab a few copies and sell them at a special price or at full price. You can also use them as prizes or for value adding.

Check that they don’t have a remaindered stripe on the book itself before you buy. Often these books have been cleared out from the publishers, only because they didn’t sell well in mainstream bookstores. They may be perfect for you.

Ebook on Starting a Home Based Specialty Bookstore

This basic advice related to Kathy’s Alzheimer’s bookstore applies equally to any home based specialty bookstore. I am in the process of writing an ebook on starting a home based specialty bookstore, so feel free to ask any further questions or make suggestions in the comments here. If you are interested in being notified when the ebook is available, you can contact me using the contact form at my blog.

Yvonne Russell is a freelance writer who blogs at Grow Your Writing Business , Home Biz Notes and Small Biz Mentor. She has operated and sold a number of businesses including an award winning bookstore, which started life as a home based bookstore. She is also the director of The People People, a small training and development business.