"Then, when the books don't sell, the bookstores rip the covers off and return the covers for a full refund. The inside of the books are dumped in the trash. The "books sold" number is never adjusted.
I am 99% sure that bookstores are offered incentives to order large numbers of particular books in order to ensure the books has a high "books sold" number."
As a former bookseller, only mass-market paperback books have the covers ripped off and returned to the publisher for a refund. All other books have to be sold somehow. Worst case scenario, dead stock is sent to another store when a store is being closed. Book prices will then be reduced until the inventory is gone.
For chains, an individual store generally does not decide which books will be purchased for their particular location. They sell whatever books the head office sends to them. It is up to each individual store to do whatever they can to sell them, mainly by featuring the books in a prominent way. You'd be amazed how many people will buy a book just because it is placed front and center.
This explains why you can go in so many discount stores and see hard cover books sold for just a few dollars, when the original price is 10x or more higher.
"Then, when the books don't sell, the bookstores rip the covers off and return the covers for a full refund. The inside of the books are dumped in the trash. The "books sold" number is never adjusted.
I am 99% sure that bookstores are offered incentives to order large numbers of particular books in order to ensure the books has a high "books sold" number."
As a former bookseller, only mass-market paperback books have the covers ripped off and returned to the publisher for a refund. All other books have to be sold somehow. Worst case scenario, dead stock is sent to another store when a store is being closed. Book prices will then be reduced until the inventory is gone.
For chains, an individual store generally does not decide which books will be purchased for their particular location. They sell whatever books the head office sends to them. It is up to each individual store to do whatever they can to sell them, mainly by featuring the books in a prominent way. You'd be amazed how many people will buy a book just because it is placed front and center.
This explains why you can go in so many discount stores and see hard cover books sold for just a few dollars, when the original price is 10x or more higher.
Thank you for the correction. I am happy to know that not all the non-sellers are destroyed. :)