Making Sense of Print Runs
Thursday, October 22, 2009 Question of the day: Congratulations on the new print run! Can you explain a bit how print runs are decided and why you go into another printing?
Sure - to the best of my ability! Print runs are sort of clandestine, covert mysteries - the "don't ask, don't tell" understanding in our industry. But let's be clear: print run can often make or break your book.
To begin with, a print run is exactly how many copies of your book is printed from the starting gate. Authors are often supremely anxious about their run: there's a BIG difference, in terms of book visibility, between an 8k hardcover print run and a 20k print run, even if on paper, it doesn't seem that way. Your initial print run is determined by how many orders book stores place for your book. If Barnes orders 1k, and Borders orders 2k, and Indies order 500, and Amazon takes another 500, and libraries take 2k, your print run is going to hover around 6-7K (or in that ball park). How do they decide how many to order? Trade reviews, word of mouth, the push that your publisher promises them...if your publisher has paid big bucks for your book, they'll likelier guarantee strong co-op space at the stores and who knows what else: marketing, advertising, touring, etc.
A lot of authors are seriously discouraged after hearing their initial print run numbers. In fact, I know some agents who don't share this info with their authors precisely for this reason. If you hear that your run is low, you might assume your book is DOA, and well, it's a tough blow to stomach. And yes, a low print run CAN be difficult to overcome - after all, if your book isn't in stores, well, it's hard for people to buy it. And if they don't buy it, publishers aren't going to support it/promote it/stand behind it.
BUT, there can be exceptions, and Time Of My Life was one of them. TOML was giving a good, though not great, initial print run. People magazine reviewed it. The Today Show reviewed it. Word of mouth took off. Book stores started placing more orders, bigger orders, and soon, we were up to the SIXTH print run in hard cover alone. Publishers don't want to print too many in one go around because they don't want to have too many remaindered, but at the same time, when orders keep coming in, they can go right back to press and have new books within days. Now, we're on the fourth print run of the paperback. My initial print run was actually quite large, but thanks to WONDERFUL READERS, the book is still selling and selling well. So don't be too discouraged if your initial print run leaves you reaching for the liquor cabinet. It CAN be overcome. It's not easy, and yes, TOML was the exception, but there by the grace of God, it can happen.
Industry
Reader Comments (2)
Excellent insight! Thank you. I'm not surprised that TOML is continuing to do well. I'm sure word of mouth has a lot to do with that. I just started reading it myself (right around page 100 at the moment) and I love it so far. You can bet I'll be telling everyone I know about it, too! Personally, I think I'd rather have people begging for more copies than to have a huge first run and a bunch of leftovers. Although, I guess a huge first run followed by begging would be ideal. ;)
You seem to have a sixth sense for the questions most on my mind... thank you for deconstructing this confusing aspect of publishing in a very clear way!