Comments on: Musing on Monday: Placement Does Matter

By: Kris Eton

Kris Eton — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:03:54 +0000

Actually, this post dovetails, for me, with your post from Wednesday…the one above this one. I went hunting for the new Tessa Dare on Tuesday at the Books-a-Million down the road from me. It wasn’t there. In fact, I would never go to this particular BAM again b/c they seemed to only have ONE copy of every book. That’s it! How can a store possibly keep up with having books on the shelves this way?

Then, I stopped at the Target…hoping it would be there. I scanned the shelves…and, there, at the VERY BOTTOM tucked in a corner was the book. What AWFUL placement! For a brand new release, I thought that sucked ass.

But I was SO glad to find it. Started it last night. Woot!

By: Amie Stuart

Amie Stuart — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:32:15 +0000

I think the reader and author blog saturation level is nearing the brink, and with more and more established authors creating group blogs, I feel it dilutes the power formerly held by individual or group blogs run by unpublished/debut/mid-list writers.

Evangeline I completely agree with you. Frankly, I think we passed the saturation level ages ago And it won’t be too long before Twitter reaches it too–if it hasn’t already.

I DO check out recommendations or authors who get a lot of buzz but I’ve been burned one too many times so even though I buy a lot of books (or what is, to me, a lot of books) I’m still pretty picky about how I spend my book buying dollars.

That said, going back to your point about saturation, too much buzz IMO is as bad as none. If I feel like blogs and twitter are just pounding the FRACK out of a book…I won’t touch it with a ten foot poll.

By: Evangeline

Evangeline — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 01:03:57 +0000

I just look at the book sections of WM and Target these days, because the ones in my area have parsed down their romance sections, while beefing up the sf/f and YA. I do most of my shopping online or at Borders/B&N–which is a different shopping experience, as you recognize.

And while I do have enough leisure time to circle a bookstore multiple times, placement does matter because my eye is more likely to land upon a book shelved outward than spine-outward, unless I’m searching for a specific author. I haven’t picked up a book b/c of word-of-mouth in a while because I’m picky–these days, I stick to favorite authors, buys based on blurbs/excerpts, and authors I “know” (like you, Tessa, Sherry, Meredith, etc).

But the so-called average reader isn’t online, nor are they checking out Romantic Times for upcoming releases, and reading review sites. So…what can you do if you don’t have pre-publication buzz or publishing dollars behind you? I think the reader and author blog saturation level is nearing the brink, and with more and more established authors creating group blogs, I feel it dilutes the power formerly held by individual or group blogs run by unpublished/debut/mid-list writers. Geez…you have got to be tough to make it in this industry.

By: Booklover1335

Booklover1335 — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:08:43 +0000

Hey Jackie,
Book placement play absolutely no part in my book buying. I have been burned too many times by impulse buys that I no longer buy books on impulse. Now I may pick up a book at the library on impulse, but every single book that I buy in a store…I go to buy that specific book or books. I make all of my decisions at home after reading blurbs, reviews and recommendations. Author blog tours help a lot in bringing them to my attention, but I still check them out before I decide to buy.

I am sure that placement in retail stores plays a large part for impulse buyers, but for a lot of other buyers like me…they buy online with retailers such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble,…and since they do a lot of business online placement doesn’t have the same kind of impact (unless you count sales ranks)

By: Amie Stuart

Amie Stuart — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 21:18:15 +0000

PS Huge impulse buyer AND Target carries a GREAT selection of Women’s Fiction which is my poison of choice (and a well stocked YA section also)

By: Amie Stuart

Amie Stuart — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 21:17:34 +0000

And fact is that sales at places like Target can really help “make” an author. Pretty much every time I walk through the door at Target, I buy a book. I also buy one about half the time I go grocery shopping. I rarely if EVER buy one at Walgreens because their selection which was 4-5 feet of books just got reduced to like 18-24 inches (wide) of books, and like you, I do quite a bit of research but I’m also a huge impulse buyer.

It’s all Target’s fault!