I was at my local independent bookstore (in a major US city) and was very surprised to find remaindered and heavily discounted copies of a book (a nice anthology) published only a few years ago by a major publishing house. Given the location of this bookstore and how crowded and popular it is (especially with college students in the area), I would never have expected this particular book to be selling poorly, as its contents are staple reading in many literature courses. The original price was in the $20 range, so it wasn’t insanely expensive for people to buy in the first place.
Does the fact that it was remaindered at this particular independent bookstore mean it was selling poorly just at this store, or selling poorly nation-wide and the publisher decided to remainder it across the country, including at chains like Barnes and Noble? (I haven’t physically been able to go to another local store to check.) Are remaindered books likely to go out of print, or will there be new copies at the original list price once these remaindered ones are sold? I didn’t buy a remaindered copy since I didn’t want the marking on the edge, but if it’s likely to never be re-stocked again, I might have to go back and buy it!
by milly_toons