HaleyDaulton said:
Very good point, Susan. I attempted to do just that yesterday, but I discovered (much to my horror) that at least one Barnes & Noble here in town doesn't carry the Superromance line, which is what I'd like to target with my WIP. I haven't checked the others in the area, nor have I checked Borders (will do that today), but I'm just curious how the chain booksellers determine which lines to carry. Or do they mix and match from month to month? Are independent booksellers a good resource?
Haley
In general (please note that DISCLAIMER, and that I'm basing this on my personal observations and the chatter I hear from other H/S authors -- I am NOT dissing the B&N chain. I happen to like them and spend money there more often than I should. <G>), Barnes & Noble has never been a big fan of category romance. In fact, I think it was only last year that my local store began carrying SOME of the lines. (Not Superromance, as you point out, and for the life of me, I can't understand it. Naturally I think the Superromance line is Super <G> and should be carried everywhere.)
Borders and Waldens (now known in most places as Border Express, I believe) have always been a better source. The Borders by me has a gorgeous rack that holds all the category lines.
WalMart is often a good bet, but some WalMarts, like mine, have reduced their category shelf space in half, so they have the lines at different times. Also, it all depends on when the shelves are stocked.
eHarlequin.com offers a good discount, and you can get the books a month early.
Let me explain a little better.
As Cathy mentioned, category romances have a limited shelf life. 2 weeks to a month. (Think of us as a magazine -- or a carton of milk. <G> Though category novels don't go sour after the "expiration date." <G>)
The lines are released at different parts of the month. Some are released mid-month, and others are released at the end/beginning of the month. (I used to have a bookmark around here someplace that said which lines were which, but I can't find it. Maybe Crinklish has one of those around the office.) For example, Supers are mid-month releases. So that might mean that the Supers are released on say, the 10th of the month.
That's when the Supers and all the other mid-cycle books are shipped to the stores. Now the stores get them and HOPEFULLY put them on the shelves ASAP. Stores have to buy a set number of the series. 2 of all the books, 4 of all the books, 6 of all the books, etc. That's it. That's what they buy. Generally once they're gone, they're gone. It's not like a single title where they MIGHT order more copies. And they buy an equal amount for all of the authors. (Unless there's a really heavy hitter, like Debbie Macomber, or Nora, etc. Then they can order extras. A book store CAN order extras, though, in certain other cases as well. I know my local Borders Express always orders extras of my books, and God bless them, keeps them on the "regular" shelves once my "expiration date" has passed. But that's because they know they can sell them.)
So, in my WalMart, they get a new shipment of books twice a month, and those books occupy the same space on the shelves. So, when the new shipment comes in, the "old" books are taken down and stripped. (You all know what stripped means, right? As a book lover, part of my soul died when I learned about stripping. <G>) That means they rip off the front cover of the book, which is returned to the publisher for credit against their account, and the main portion of the book is tossed in the garbage. That's why books say, in the front,
If you've purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as "unsold and destroyed" to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this "stripped book."
So, at my WalMart, you have to make sure you hit the store during the proper two week period that you're looking for a particular line. It's the same at my local grocery store.
I'd suggest calling your local bookstore before you go, and checking to see what lines they carry. Also, remember, they can actually order a copy for you of a book that's already been released. Say you want a particular book from two months ago. They may be able to order you a copy.
Amazon, thank goodness, has given categories a somewhat longer life. You can still buy copies of some older categories there. (NEW copies. <G>)
I'm not sure exactly which buyers are responsible for deciding what lines a particular store carries. I do know that often they base them on, what else, the previous numbers. So if there's a store that's carried Supers, but not done well with them, then they might get rid of the line.
The August Supers should be making their way onto the shelves around now.
Does that help?
Susan G.
hehehe