Baker &Taylor is now providing free sales data to publishers who credit independent reps with sales made through B&T. For publishers who don't credit reps with such sales or who want detailed marketing information, the service is available for a fee.
Ingram and other wholesalers provide similar sales data reports to publishers who compensate reps.
As more and more bookstores buy large quantities of books through wholesalers, particularly with the popularity of just-in-time delivery, independent reps -- who tend to receive commission only on direct purchases from the publisher - -have been asking to be credited for sales through wholesalers. They argue that they are often responsible for major sales but are compensated only for the initial buys of ones and twos and not for the replenishments through wholesalers that often result from their work and which can result in many additional sales. In addition, for books bought both from publishers and wholesalers, booksellers tend to return any unsold books first to publishers, which wipes out the reps' commission.
For the first time, B&T is providing information about actual units sold to all markets -- retailers, libraries, etc. The more detailed reports will compare titles' performances in specific categories against competitors, and analyze sales based on market type or region.
J l Primer, B&T's publisher reporting analyst, told PW that there has been a "tremendous response" to the program, officially called the Enhanced Publisher Reporting Program, in part perhaps because of the recent announcement about B&N purchasing Ingram.
For more information, contact Primer at (908) 218-3819.
