Bookstore Inventory

With millions of books in print and more coming out every day, it can be overwhelming to choose your bookstore’s opening inventory. When your inventory is the largest investment in opening a bookstore, it’s important you look like a “real” bookstore. This task is very tricky. Here are some things to consider:

    • Data constantly changes as new books are released every day
    • Tracking trade paperback releases can free up some of your book budget for additional titles
    • Consider your community and areas of specialization when selecting titles
    • Assess the space you’ve designated for each section to determine quantities
    • Some sections sell better than others
    • 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
    • Including the important books that are coming out the first few month’s you open is essential and may not be on a “recommended opening inventory” spreadsheet

Your opening order should take all of these things into consideration and coordinated with your planogram (your fixture layout with details on what sections go where). This will help you avoid expensive freight costs of returning excess books.

Susan Savory, who has owned her own bookstore and worked as a lead book buyer, is our buying specialist for creating stellar opening inventories. She will work with you to understand your market and use her years of knowledge to select the most worthy and timely books for your opening inventory.

Fees begin at $4/selling sq. ft.

First Consultation is FREE

 Send us an email or give us a call at (904) 277-2664.