Bookstore Inventory

- Books are released every day, so the data is already old when you get it
- What’s now available in hardcover is eventually released in paperback; in most cases, you’ll want to be mindful of the timing and replace hardcovers with the trade paperback, freeing up some of your book budget for additional titles
- Not every book that is selling elsewhere will be a good choice for your community and your areas of specialization
- What you order needs to fit and fill the spaces you’ve designated for each section, so you need to identify just how many volumes you need for each section you want to carry
- Some sections sell better than others; some sections barely sell at all ... which do you order and which do you skip?
- Some books are “sacred cows” – absolutely necessary to carry; some have been around for ages and continue to sell, while others are just about to be released and are likely to be in high demand
- You can’t afford to miss the important books that are coming out the first few month’s you open; those books are not on any “recommended opening inventory” spreadsheet formulated on what’s “currently” selling. When do you order one copy of a title and when do you order more?