tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post4878969949144881114..comments2024-03-25T09:56:16.164+00:00Comments on An Awfully Big Blog Adventure: Books, bacon and chain bookseller of the year - by Nicola MorganUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-41867031839561199772011-06-25T09:24:59.846+01:002011-06-25T09:24:59.846+01:00Perhaps bookshops should sell bacon sandwiches and...Perhaps bookshops should sell bacon sandwiches and cava. Just a thought.Bluejunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13460856386807556785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-63868204158906991652011-06-12T16:37:25.960+01:002011-06-12T16:37:25.960+01:00Great photos! I'm married to someone who regul...Great photos! I'm married to someone who regularly photographs crisps. Mainly in Tesco, but sometimes in Sainsbury's.<br />And nuts and snacks.bookwitchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05237519763315026629noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-60342607012966330282011-06-09T15:43:46.883+01:002011-06-09T15:43:46.883+01:00Kate - I will be there on those dates. (I live her...Kate - I will be there on those dates. (I live here!) I'm doing a major scary event on 15th so might not be relaxed enough to speak, & a less scary one on 21st. But how about we email and fix something nearer the time? We did almost meet once briefly - you came (I think this is right?) to a party I hosted for the Soc of Authors a couple of years ago. Anyway, my email is n@nicolamorgan.co.uk <br />And I'll tell you about some interesting repercussions I've had to this post... All the best, and thanks for the discussion. NicolaNicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-43484986183123305842011-06-09T13:36:19.077+01:002011-06-09T13:36:19.077+01:00Nicola
So much to talk about!
Yes, will be in Ed...Nicola<br /><br />So much to talk about!<br /><br />Yes, will be in Edin, but quite briefly, at Festival time.<br /><br />Am likely to be there for our Nikalas Catlow and Tim Wesson Mega Mash-up event on 15 August and then am there on 21 August too, for our Axel Scheffler and Penny Dale events and then an event I am doing myself about apps.Kate Wilsonhttp://www.nosycrow.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-59729337433014360672011-06-09T10:53:29.704+01:002011-06-09T10:53:29.704+01:00Kate - ok, we must be working from different figur...Kate - ok, we must be working from different figures! (I do know what many of the discounts are that my books have experienced. And I even understand my royalty statements! Often, I'd rather not know.) <br /><br />I agree re Sainsbury's sales not being by any stabndards low - that wasn't my part of the conversation. <br /><br />As I say, my piece was about the dismal "book zone" in my Sainsbury's. But yes, I do also disparage and enormously dislike the price-slashing by supermarkets. Whether your figures or mine reflect the picture for most authors, the whole culture of under-pricing one's best products to the detriment of the creators is one I oppose and abhor.Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-2295432375503252932011-06-09T10:34:34.916+01:002011-06-09T10:34:34.916+01:00Can I just say it makes me feel sad and worried th...Can I just say it makes me feel sad and worried that authors aren't always really informed about the realities or the arithmetic of the industry from which they make their living (or part of their living). That there should have been a debate about the scale of Sainsbury's as a bookseller (the conversation about it being easy to achieve a 33% increase if the base is low) suggests to me that people don't have enough information. I'm not saying that this is the fault of the authors. But I think it's interesting that publishers aren't often asked to explain these parts of the business to individual authors or groups of authors.Kate Wilsonhttp://www.nosycrow.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-15131592300312714522011-06-09T10:03:03.300+01:002011-06-09T10:03:03.300+01:00Nicola
Those certainly weren't the royalties ...Nicola<br /><br />Those certainly weren't the royalties or discounts I was working on!<br /><br />My maths absolutely works for the Nosy Crow deal which we strike with authors individually but also with a range of agents, so does, I think, reflect industry standards. It's based on published price. It also reflects our discount model, which, like most publishers, we'd not talk publicly about but which I shouldn't think is seriously out of line with the rest of the industry. <br /><br />KateKate Wilsonhttp://www.nosycrow.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-573785911549541132011-06-09T06:59:46.121+01:002011-06-09T06:59:46.121+01:00Lucy - despite the fact that Sainsbury's have ...Lucy - despite the fact that Sainsbury's have Write to be Published at deep discount, it won't be on their shelves either! <br /><br />Kate - agree about liveliness of debate! It would be lovely to meet up and chat this through - are you up in edinburgh during August? Anyway, my maths, albeit not very good, does not produce figures like those, I'm afraid. After a standard bookshop 40% discount on a 5.99 pb, the 8% royalty normal for a pb would give the author about 29p. (I think?) And an 80% supermarket/book club discount would nett about 10p. Have I totally got that wrong? (Serious question! I am awful at maths!) <br /><br />But anyway, I agree about volume sales, and of course firm sale rather than sale-or-dreaded-return is an advantage. But, I don't write the sort of books that supermarkets want anyway, and I am almost 100% certain that i've never earned a single penny from one! I have from bookclubs, and my agent and I repfer not to think about the royalty income from that, preferring to take the view that it boosts my sales figures on paper. The idea of selling 1000 copies of one of my books to a supermarket or to anyone retailer is lovely but doesn't happen. <br /><br />Thing is, Kate, as a successful publisher you are obliged (and, of course, want) to do everything you can to get your books into supermarkets. I have no such need, desire or ability. I am free! (Actually, I've had lots of home learning books in supermarkets, best-sellers, but I get no royalty at all...)Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-44139218744357034122011-06-09T06:11:27.323+01:002011-06-09T06:11:27.323+01:00Hope your book to do good business and you get you...Hope your book to do good business and you get your goal.Fantasy Footballhttp://footballdiehards.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-71951798678358904062011-06-08T18:55:49.442+01:002011-06-08T18:55:49.442+01:00Have now read both Nicola's posts and Kate'...Have now read both Nicola's posts and Kate's and reckon there is much food (possibly bacon?) for thought in both. Here's my two-penn'orth: I've just done a troll through the books sections of Amazon, Tesco and Sainsbury for my own titles. It was instructive. Amazon is discounting at between 35-37%, Tesco at between 10-35% and Sainsburys are SELLING AT FULL PRICE, which tells me that my books are very unlikely to be physically on their shelves. They are even selling a hardback copy of a book I thought was long o/p, and I've ordered it just to see what happens. I wonder what price they are buying at. On the book club front, a whole set of Greek Beasts and Heroes (RRP £59.98) is selling for £12.99. Depressing, confusing or just to be accepted as the way things are? Probably all three.Lucy Coatshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16774389681477698245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-8453353920687436512011-06-08T17:18:05.091+01:002011-06-08T17:18:05.091+01:00Really great to see liveliness of this debate!
I ...Really great to see liveliness of this debate!<br /><br />I have added author livelihood bits to my post. On a £5.99 pb, I am suggesting that an author would earn 45p from a sale of a book through an independent bookstore and 30p from a sale of the same book through a supermarket. Less money per copy for the author and a lot less for the publisher, but more copies sold is the very basic equation. For every 10 books you sell through an independent (and they order in ones and twos), you have to sell 15 through a supermarket (and they order in 1000s) to make the same money.<br /><br />I love independent bookshops. I love bookseller chains. <br /><br />If I ignored supermarkets, my business (small, new, independent) and the authors and illustrators whose books I am selling would suffer.<br /><br />Can entirely see that your own example wasn't a particularly exciting book-buying venue.<br /><br />And it is a funny post.Kate Wilsonhttp://www.nosycrow.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-23442705953800709212011-06-08T16:19:45.063+01:002011-06-08T16:19:45.063+01:00Stroppy - very fair point. But actually no, it was...Stroppy - very fair point. But actually no, it wasn't their sales stats that I was writing about, as I didn't know them (or want to at the time) - it was the "reinvigorating of book zones". I wanted to say that mine needed a rocket up it!Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-63542904684497648182011-06-08T16:02:08.522+01:002011-06-08T16:02:08.522+01:00Nicola, I think we need to read both of your posts...Nicola, I think we need to read both of your posts to get your full picture, and I'd only read this one when I commented. This one doesn't mention discounting and it's damage to authors' livelihoods. I don't mean at all that that is not an issue - of course not. I meant that in terms of the award, wasn't it their sales stats that were the point at issue?<br /><br />I do think it's a wonderfully amusing post, though I was put off by all the bacon. It's pig snuff porn, photos of bacon ;-)Stroppy Authorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16560035800075465845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-28216983772710164562011-06-08T15:53:38.249+01:002011-06-08T15:53:38.249+01:00You are very funny - and obviously the wine sectio...You are very funny - and obviously the wine section had greater pulling power. But I absolutely agree about dastardly supermarkets cutting author profits. Our Tesco Extra mammoth shop has huge numbers of shelves for books - so that's huge amounts of dosh not going to authors. Criminal.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-52201019695708905742011-06-08T15:41:06.375+01:002011-06-08T15:41:06.375+01:00Kate - please excuse my haste but I'm in a rus...Kate - please excuse my haste but I'm in a rush. I don't dispute (and never have) those figures (though I haven't had time to look at them - and yes, you can do anything with stats anyway, but that's not a point I'd want to make) but they just aren't what I'm talking about! I'm talking about Fair Reading. Writers' livelihoods are being wrecked by deep discounting and supermarkets are at the forefront of this. In fact, the more they sell of deep-discounted books, the worse I am going to feel!Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-70357308861054086302011-06-08T15:37:04.121+01:002011-06-08T15:37:04.121+01:00Kate's article and Nicola's together make ...Kate's article and Nicola's together make a fine pair. Loved the photos on here, Nicola and have to say: our Book Zone in the branch I used to go to in Manchester was not bad at all. I'm afraid I've often bought stuff there...2 for £7.00. Kate Atkinson, Anita Shreve etc. I think libraries should stay open, schools should employ School Librarians and bookshops of all kinds should do their thing. It's very good that nowadays people who would NEVER THINK OF GOING TO A BOOKSHOP OF ANY KIND can find books just round the corner from the bacon.adelehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15826710558292792068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-78997338318852254702011-06-08T13:49:50.334+01:002011-06-08T13:49:50.334+01:00I've added a graph to my blog post in reply to...I've added a graph to my blog post in reply to Nicola's post:<br /><br />http://nosycrow.com/blog/looking-back-at-sainsbury-s-winning-general-or-chain-bookseller-of-the-year-award<br /><br />Sainsbury's would be in the top 10 of most publisher's list of customers.<br /><br />They're big. A 33% increase doesn't represent a small sum.Kate Wilsonhttp://www.nosycrow.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-87619647855406583252011-06-08T12:44:03.807+01:002011-06-08T12:44:03.807+01:00Very true, Marshall,
Percentages can look marvell...Very true, Marshall, <br />Percentages can look marvellous, especially when you're coming from a low base.Ebony McKenna.https://www.blogger.com/profile/02724727996270658767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-23976228253307465182011-06-08T12:40:36.940+01:002011-06-08T12:40:36.940+01:00Loved this post Nicola... I think it's still o...Loved this post Nicola... I think it's still ok to photograph bacon! And pink Codornui? Cava is definitely the way to celebrate. Sorry I missed your Foyle's event. I was out of London for the day. Good luck for tonight.Dianne Hofmeyrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18222157214605257030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-15845333718717170572011-06-08T12:38:28.886+01:002011-06-08T12:38:28.886+01:00Brilliant. Very funny.
I think (though I don'...Brilliant. Very funny.<br /><br />I think (though I don't know) that Ebony probably hit the nail on the head: if they've increased sals by 33% then that probably sounds brilliant and was possible the justification for the prize.<br />But percentages are meaningless without the context.<br /><br />Also, I think you missed the opportunity to have you "b" as "bottles of wine". You sure as Hell would have found more choice there. Though we may never have seen you again...Marshall Buckleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07362417446783286392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-50872452339223331852011-06-08T12:33:19.537+01:002011-06-08T12:33:19.537+01:00Stroppy - that is *an* issue, but not the main iss...Stroppy - that is *an* issue, but not the main issue for me. The main issue for me is actually deep discounting, as I regularly harp on about, and as I mention on my own blog today (http://helpineedapublisher.blogspot.com/2011/06/stirring-bacon-and-books.html)<br /><br />My article on ABBA today only claims to use my branch (a large refurbished one) as one example. I say it needed a rocket up it. I say it was doing absolutely nothing to promote books or reading. And I also believe that supermarkets' short-sighted foray into bookselling is inadvertently damaging the livelihoods of writers, the foundations of the whole book industry. I feel very strongly about this. I'd love to see them sell books properly, promote them properly, understand the situation properly. <br /><br />For me this is all about what I've called "Fair Reading" - buying books at a decent price and if you can't / prefer not to, borrowing from public libraries.Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-71075409020140124912011-06-08T11:31:46.740+01:002011-06-08T11:31:46.740+01:00Great post. To be fair to Sainsbury's (althoug...Great post. To be fair to Sainsbury's (although I would more than hesitate to call it a book retailer) the branches at Monks Cross Shopping Centre in York and Harrogate have a reasonable selection of fiction. These are not just the top 40, but I have bought Rose Tremain, Kate Atkinson and Phillippa Gregory there at £7 for 2.<br /><br />As supermarket book sections go, I was pleasantly surprised. Alsdo, I have often found it difficult to get to the books I want to look at because of other customers in the way--but no staff, of course.And even if there were, they have no say in ordering or any knowledge of the book business, which will all be centrally controlled.<br /><br />So, I would give five out of ten for trying but think they should stick to bacon and beans.Sally Zigmondhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07520579251842006765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-83863456975348383122011-06-08T11:03:24.939+01:002011-06-08T11:03:24.939+01:00I love this post.
I also love percentages.
I sold...I love this post.<br />I also love percentages. <br />I sold two books yesterday, and three today.<br />That's a 33% increase in just one day. <br />Can I have my award now please?Ebony McKenna.https://www.blogger.com/profile/02724727996270658767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-53369576256287624802011-06-08T10:56:45.284+01:002011-06-08T10:56:45.284+01:00I most often frequent Aldis, where there are no bo...I most often frequent Aldis, where there are no books at all. My local Krogers has a few, and the Meijers superstore has the requisite best sellers. Thanks for the peek into your grocery-- whenever I travel, I pop into stores and spend an inordinate amount of time in the UK staring at the enormous biscuit section!And yes, I've taken pictures!Ms. Yinglinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17805324364289597178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-43455815866533391552011-06-08T10:48:10.027+01:002011-06-08T10:48:10.027+01:00Yes, there's all sorts of reasons one can give...Yes, there's all sorts of reasons one can give for the award being awarded, BUT I JUST LOVE THIS POST! THANKS, NICOLA!<br /><br />I'm also aware of the damage that the "only bestseller" picks do to the economy of other bookshops. Especially shops that sell books.<br /><br />Mystery shopper revelead, eh? Enjoy your party and your cava!Penny Dolanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16386668303428008498noreply@blogger.com