Comments on: The Backlist / Midlist Conundrum

By: Tone Blevins

Tone Blevins — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 15:20:59 +0000

As a bookseller, I know first hand the value of backlist. Any new title/author probably has a backlist! Sometimes it’s simply a matter of merchandising the backlist titles along with the new title. Sometimes it’s good to keep an eye/ear out for books which are being makde into films/tv/video games. Anything. any way that the work can be put squarely in front of the customer and give them a chance to recognize it! Which they will/do. Also, any current events, sports, newsworthy themes which a title is related to, can be used effectively…There is nothing wrong with pushing titles…We are Stores, after all.!

By: Dianna Winget

Dianna Winget — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 14:14:45 +0000

I agree with Tim’s mention of parents and grandparents. If you’ve got a child or student that loves books, by all means make mention of some of these older titles, sharing why you loved them. If a youngster reads a classic and really likes it, I think her or she will talk it up just like they would a new title. That’s why Charlotte’s Web, The Outsiders, and Where the Red Fern Grows are still around.

By: Tim tocher

Tim tocher — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 19:15:11 +0000

New covers lure new readers. I think there’s a niche for small publishers who repackage and reissue titles that have unjustly gone out of print. Parents and grandparents buy most children’s books and love to find titles they recognize and fondly remember.

Tim Tocher, author of recently reissued PLAYING FOR PRIDE