The business of publishing is old world, mature, and has changed only incrementally over the past fifty years. One thing that can be said about publishing is that the biggest companies lead and the rest tend to follow. This is why little has changed in the way these publishers conduct business. The biggest are the most stodgy and the result is an industry that continues to shrink, while technology and the new marketing of the 21st century speed ahead.
Book are published, marketed, sold and distributed the same way they have been since the birth of the business. Certainly prices have changed dramatically, shipments are better coordinated, cover designs have evolved, merchandising has improved, but the basic business rules have not. Today there are still three general rules that apply to the business of publishing.
Rule number one: Every book is guaranteed to the bookseller, meaning, if they don't sell at the bookstore, the publisher guarantees they'll take them back. Returned books are as common place as paper and ink. Books have always been returnable. There are few if any retailers still in existence that will purchase newly published non-returnable books. The fallacy of this is that today, 2008, there are still some publishers that force their authors to pay several hundred dollars for the right to have their book considered returnable. Returnable books should be standard for any book contract. This is a clear example of how some publishers are not fluent in the ways of the business, and as a result they take advantage and prey on the pocketbooks of unsuspecting, and uninformed authors.
Rule number two: The business is about revenue, selling books. However there are two ways to look at revenue. For the Independent publishers and authors, revenue is when a book is sold and the money changes hands, that is a sale and represents the cleanest form of revenue. For the biggest publishers and all the others that want to compete in the marketplace, revenue is both gross and net. Gross is the number of copies multiplied by the cover price. This does not account for the returns that will eventually arrive at the publisher's warehouse. The net price is what is left after all those books have been returned and counted. The big companies play with these numbers in a variety of ways and if you plan to compete in this market, you must be aware of this fact.
Rule number three: Bookseller real estate is for lease. When you walk into a bookstore and notice all those wonderful displays with multiple copies of the bestsellers, then you stroll down the aisles and look at the covers laying face up on the tables, keep in mind -- this is not accidental. These retailers aren't doing any favors. All of that space has been leased by the publisher of those titles for a specified period of time. In fact, virtually all of the floor space is for lease, if you can afford the price. Typically the front of the store is the most expensive real estate and the price goes down slightly as you move to the back of the store. Bottom line, retail space in major retailers, including bookstores and mass merchants, is for lease.
If you want to compete in the traditional marketplace, you must keep these three rules in mind: It's how the business operates.
We all love the surprise that is given by making a gift whether it is because of the joy that someone you love has or because you just received the present that you wanted.
There are however, some unpleasant aspects of gift giving that are very difficult to avoid. Besides the difficulties that anyone encounters when it comes to what to purchase to offer the greatest gift, there are also less happy moments when you receive something that you don't like or something that simply doesn't help you.
When it comes to such situations it is better for you to know how to get that certain gift away in the best possible manner. Instead of throwing it away or use it when the person who gave it to you comes to visit, better regift the things that you don't like.
Reading this article will surely help you whether you are just curious about regifting or you want to apply this method in the best way possible. Don't think that people don't usually do this; actually is one of the most often things that anyone does when people receive something they don't like.
The one thing that you have to keep in mind is that regifting is the best thing to do just as long as you do it in the proper manner, so you can avoid public humiliation. First of all, you don't necessary have to mention to the person you give that thing that you don't like it; in most of the cases it is better not to do this way. Also, don't leave the gift as you received it. Besides removing the gift card, you should also rewrap the gift as it surely doesn't look better once you have opened it.
Sometimes people make this mistake but keep in mind that you can only do that as long as you also offer a gift bought specially for that person. Also, note who gave you something that you plan to regift as giving to someone who initially offered that thing to you is surely not the best gesture to do.
There are some more items that should not be regifted besides the ones that you have already used, such as candles, obscure jewelry or random books. Champagne on the other hand is a great thing for regifting.
If you really want to avoid regifting things then you can also sell your gifts on eBay. However, you will find that regifting things that you don't like or that you don't use is not that hard if you do it in a gallant way. It can be a fun thing to do as long as you think about the person who gets to receive the item.
Both Jerry D. Simmons & Matthias Zeitler are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Jerry D. Simmons has sinced written about articles on various topics from Writing, Fitness and Writing. Jerry D. Simmons is the author of WHAT WRITERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PUBLISHING. He is the creator of TIPS for WRITING from the PUBLISHING INSIDER an eNewsletter that can be found at WritersReaders.com. He is also the founder of the leading social networking. Jerry D. Simmons's top article generates over 5400 views. to your Favourites.
Matthias Zeitler has sinced written about articles on various topics from Shopping, Family Concerns and Environment. is a new group gift buying website that allows users to manage the entire group gift buying process from setting up a wishlist and inviting. Matthias Zeitler's top article generates over 368000 views. to your Favourites.