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- What is the nature of my business relationship with Biblio?
- Are there any other costs associated?
- What is your fee schedule?
- My title is currently stocked with a distributor or wholesaler. May I still submit my title to Biblio?
- How do all the percentages work? Who gets what percentage of the list price?
- Does Biblio inform all wholesalers of new publishers' books?
- Can my company still be represented by Biblio and Quality and Unique Books?
- Will Biblio arrange for my book to be listed with Amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com? What if I'm already set up with either or with both? Can I still submit author and publisher comments, reviews, etc.?
- Does signing up with Biblio mean that my book will now be in every bookstore in the country?
- Why does my relationship or agreement with Biblio have to be exclusive?
- Can I still sell my books on my website or at seminars?
- Are there any markets to which I can sell directly such as specialty shops or catalogs?
- Does Biblio offer a non-returnable contract?
- Is there anything a publisher can do to cut down on returns?
- How much stock should I plan on sending?
Biblio Contract FAQ
- What Is The Nature Of My Business Relationship With Biblio?
Biblio and its client publishers will sign a contract which specifies that Biblio, in exchange for assuming responsibility for sales representation, order fulfillment, inventory management, customer service, monthly reporting, and credit and collections functions, will earn a fee based on a percentage of a publisher's books' list prices. It is a consignment relationship, Biblio does not buy books from publishers.The fee is deducted from monthly Biblio payments to its clients.
- Are There Any Other Costs Associated?
No, the only costs you will incur as a Biblio client are those spelled out in our written agreement. Some distributors charge for the use of their 800 number or charge for inclusion in print catalogs, for example, but fail to disclose this in their contracts. Biblio does not charge for the use of its 800 number nor does it have any hidden charges of any kind. Your monthly accounts payable statement will clearly spell out the fees you incurred during that month.
- What Is Your Fee Schedule?
We pay publishers 40% of the retail price for every book sold. There is also a $50 per title set-up fee and a storage charge of $.015 per book per month (for example, for 500 books the storage fee per month would be $7.50).
- My Title Is Currently Stocked With A Distributor Or Wholesaler.
May I Still Submit My Title To Biblio?
Yes, however, if you are already with a distributor, and you are accepted by Biblio, you must sever your contract with them before Biblio can begin representing your books. Find out when your contract ends or whether your distributor would be willing to terminate the contract early. You must get this in writing and provide a copy for our records.
If your titles are currently being sold by Ingram, Baker & Taylor, or any other trade wholesaler, you must be willing to turn those accounts over to Biblio. We are an exclusive distributor so we will not sign contracts with publishers wishing to continue direct relationships with our customers.
- How do all the percentages work? Who gets what percentage of the list price?
The margins are very, very narrow in this industry. Distributors "get" 60-70 percent and more of the list price because they resell to wholesalers and retailers who demand discounts of from 40-60 percent of list. We think Biblio's contract is very reasonable and competitive. Publishers working with us can expect to get 40 percent of the retail price of the book .
- Does Biblio inform its accounts about new books?
Yes. We transmit data electronically to various databases from which all other wholesalers and retailers obtain information.
- Can my company still be represented by Biblio and also use distributors who will sell
outside the trade market?
Yes. For example, Quality and Unique are two library wholesalers excluded from the Biblio contract. We are happy to allow publishers to maintain existing relationship or establish new relationships with non-competing two vendors.
- Will Biblio arrange for my book to be listed with amazon.com and
barnesandnoble.com? What if I'm already set up with either or with both? Can I still submit
author and publisher comments, reviews, etc.?
Yes. These two accounts are part of the electronic transmittals we send out monthly. If you're already set up with either or both, you need to send a vendor of record letter advising that Biblio is your new distributor and will now be responsible for your list--both backlist and frontlist. Publishers are encouraged to continue to enhance their online pages via publisher and author comments, reviews, etc. We also have a data correction page to help you enhance your listings with reviews.
- Does signing up with Biblio mean that my book will now be in every
bookstore in the country?
One of the most important reasons to sign up with any distributor is that information about your book(s) will be made available via direct contact and indirectly via a variety of databases to each and every retailer and wholesaler in the country. This means your book will be available for ordering when inquiries are made at a bookstore. Please remember that we can only promise to make the book available. We cannot promise it will be in every bookstore in the country, on store shelves, that is ultimately up to buyers at stores, both locally and nationally
- Why does my relationship or agreement with Biblio have to be exclusive?
The majority of accounts will only deal with exclusive distributors because of the confusion that can be caused by more than one sales rep selling the same book and by more than one vendor-of-record supplying the same book. They require one place to order from and return books to because their databases will not allow multiple vendors for the same ISBN.
- Can I still sell my books on my website or at seminars?
Yes, direct to consumer sales are fine and don't violate the contract. Our contract is for bookstores and book wholesalers only.
- Are there any markets to which I can sell directly such as specialty shops or catalogs?
Yes, since Biblio sells to the retail book selling trade (traditional bookstores, wholesaler and distributors), you are free to sell to your target niche such as specialty stores (baby supplies, fishing stores, hobby shops, music shops, erotica shops, specialty online sites, etc.) You can also sell directly to catalogers who specialize in your field. Usually these kinds of special outlets need a negotiated discount.
- Does Biblio offer a non-returnable contract?
No. The majority of retail and wholesale accounts will not order books on a non-returnable basis-this is an industry standard. You, the publisher, may conduct special sales to non-trade accounts on a non-returnable basis, but it often requires a discount exceeding 60%.
- Is there anything a publisher can do to cut down on returns?
Returns occur when there are too many books in the wholesaler-retailer system. The decision that resulted in too many books in the system was based on expectation of sales, specifically on communication from the publisher about how much marketing and promotion was going to be done to support the book and create demand. As long as the publisher maintains the appropriate amount of marketing, public relations, and promotion to create consumer demand, returns will be at the lowest level possible. Don't over-inflate your marketing information on your tip sheet and let us know if a major review or promotion falls through. We try very hard to work with our publishers to limit returns.
- How much stock should I plan on sending?
We suggest that you send us approximately 500 copies to start (fewer copies is fine if you are not actively engaged in marketing your book). Obviously, if you have huge publicity planned then we'll need stock to support it, but that is ultimately up to you. You should try to manage your stock carefully to minimize storage fees.