Spring Book Show Founder Discusses Remainder Book Market

The Spring Book Show, perhaps the largest bargain book and remainder show in the
nation, will be held at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta March 26-28. Larry
May discusses the state of the business.
Knoxville, TN, March 12, 2010 -- Far more books are sold at a discount from reta
il than are sold at the suggested cover price - and a large percentage of the di
scounted books end up in the remainder market.
Larry May, founder of the Spring Book Show, scheduled for the Cobb Galleria Cent
re in North Atlanta on March 26-28, knows the remainder business. Formerly an ex
ecutive with the 100-store Book Warehouse chain that specialized in remainders,
he founded Atlanta's Spring Book Show 12 years ago. Following is what he told th
e Southern Review in an interview.
Q. What kind of booksellers and books are found at the Spring Book Show?
A. (Larry May) We specialize in remainders, hurts, returns, promotional and whit
e sales. We also have sidelines - calendars, reading glasses, music (CDs), cards
, stationery, pens and other writing instruments. There are a few close-out comp
anies that will sell anything that they think someone will buy at a discount - p
ackage deals, audio books, videos, you name it.
Q. How many book buyers will be at the show this year?
A. Total show attendance should be around 800 to 1,000. About 400 of those will
be serious buyers. Vendors account for 500 booth spaces.
Q. How far do your book buyers come?
A. So far, we have buyers coming from Japan, Korea Great Britain, Canada, Nigeri
a, Ireland, France and Australia. By the time the show oepens, we should add a f
ew more countries.
Q. Can you name a few of the sellers who we can expect to see there?
A. Among the vendors would be A1 Overstock, Book Country Clearing House, Book De
pot, Book$mart, Daedalus, Fairmount Books, SAS and Associates, S & L Sales, Stri
ctly by-the Book, Texas Bookman, Thomas Nelson Bargain Books and World Publicati
ons - to mention a few.
Q. What are the origins of the show?
A. The show grew out of a cooperative called Affiliated Value Booksellers. There
were about 40 members who formed a buying group and would have a conference twi
ce a year. At one of the meetings, we would invite vendors to come to the hotel
and display their product to the members of the group - it was a "member only" s
howing. In the mid-90s, the group disbanded and I took the small show and built
it into a bigger one.
Q. Do particular genres do better than others once they become remainders?
A. I would say that it exactly mirrors the general trade book industry. What sel
ls well in the general trade industry sells well at our show. Of course, the rea
son we have a show is because the publisher didn't sell enough of something, ove
rprinted, allowed returns or they need to turn books into cash. I must say this
about the book industry, I don't care how good an author is - their books will e
nd up being handled somewhere along the line by one of our vendors. It is inevit
able. We feel that our vendors, our show, our industry gives the book additional
 "lives."
Q. What's the state of the remainder book industry at the moment?
A. The remainder business has benefited from the economic recession. Consumers n
ot only have less dollars to spend on books and other entertainment â theyâ ve also b
ecome accustomed to discounted prices for books. Retailers like Amazon.com, Walm
art and Target have engaged in price wars that brought down the price of hardcov
er best-sellers. In order to compete, both independent bookstores and some of th
e chain stores have become more reliant than ever on remainders, where the marku
p is usually higher than it is on newly issued books from publishers.
Q. What does the internet do for the remainder book industry?
A. The innovative remainder dealers have made good use of the internet. They use
it to sell wholesale, business to business, and to sell retail, business to con
sumer. But perhaps the major development has been the entry of many small player
s into the remainder business. There are literally housands of people now who ha
ve entered the book retailing business by selling remainders through Amazon.com
stores, on eBay and via other Internet outlets.
About the Spring Book Show: The Spring Book Show is the largest of three bargain
book shows held in the United States. It is staged annually in the spring to pe
rmit retailers to buy inexpensive stock for marketing during the summer â beach rea
dâ season. The show is organized by L.B. May & Associates of Knoxville, Tenn. Furt
her information at www.springbookshow.com
Press Contact:
Noel Griese
Anvil Publishers, Inc
Knoxville, TN
770-938-0289
ngriese@anvilpub.com
http://www.anvilpub.net