Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Hey guys, I'm a bit late

Are there still any sandwiches left

There had better be sandwiches

my recap

I thought the trip to Barnes & Noble was great. To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect before arriving. I figured the 90 minutes would be filled with normal book stuff I already knew. Since prior to this, I’ve only really thought about bookstores as a consumer, not the producer, I was surprised by a number of things that were discussed – like B&N’s process of ordering new books. I thought having the Community Relations Manager speaker was a great idea – it’s an area of public relations I’ve never thought about.
My favorite part, however, was the author, Jonathan Maberry. I thought he shared some great advice and didn’t attempt to beat around the bush with how difficult it can be to publish books. I found it interesting how little control he had over his books after he finished writing. I always thought writers had more control over their books, since it is his/her writing. Apparently not!
I also thought it was great that he gave advice from all sides of the industry. I’ve never imagined myself becoming a book writer, but I was inspired by his talk to look more into it. Hopefully future speakers will take our varied backgrounds and career aspirations into consideration as well and be as beneficial.

B & N

When thinking about Barnes and Noble, i just think "books," but after visiting the store i've realized that is not all that is there. After our B & N visit, i knew it wasn't just about books. According to the management and employees, there is much more to it being just another bookstore. I learned that they recieve 2 to 3 pallets of books a day which is about 195 boxes of books and go through about 1500 transactions at the registers throughout one day. There is a cafe inside where you can get starbucks products while your children sit in on story time.

This visit definitely taught me a lot that i did not know. I became ver knowledgeable on all the different aspects of the store and the books. I learned about short listing and back listing as well as shelf life of books which is 90 days. I also learned that authors really do not have a say over the cover of their books, it's up to the editor to know what the people are attracted too.

Barnes and Noble Reaction

Prior to our class visit to Barnes & Noble, I was unaware of the amount of time and effort associated with satisfying the wide range of needs for the company’s customers. Over the years I have gone into B& N almost weekly, but never took the time to understand exactly how the company kept the stores in such pristine condition. Following the presentation given by Barnes and Noble employee Terri Walsh, my perspective on the organization altered tremendously.

One of the most interesting things I learned from our visit was the intense monitoring that goes into each book found in the store. I was always under the impression that the publishers simply sent a bunch of books and Barnes and Noble just held onto them until they were sold out. Contrary to my belief, B&N closely monitors the sales of each book and in the event it does not sell, the book is shipped back to the publisher. If in fact the book does not perform, Barnes and Noble either sends it directly back to the publisher or back to their distribution center for re-shipping.


After hearing from Terri Walsh and Dave Maberry, I found myself in shock of how interesting the publishing industry could be. Before this trip, I never took the time to see just how many different aspects of publishing there is and that there is a potential to make a great deal of money. This class trip significantly altered my perceptions of the “book making” business and given reason to research a potential career in publishing.

Reaction to B & N

The Barnes and Noble Store was everything I expected it to be, but the people who worked with and for Barnes and Noble were more interesting. I was surprised that the employees have story time three times a week. It was fascinating to hear the breakdown of a book and that approximately fifty percent of the book’s price is from the retailer. It puts a lot of the prices in perspective, because I did not expect a lot of mark-up for books. Although from working in retail store, Aeropostale where the jewelry mark-up is over two-hundred percent I should have known.
The specific terms were useful in understanding the process of a book, and how it comes to be on the shelves. I always thought I might possibly write a children’s book of stories, now I know if I do, the book would have a shelf life of only ninety days. So I better write a good book! The author Jonathan Maberry was extremely interesting and I thought he gave out a lot of useful information as an outsider coming into the publishing business. He explained how much marketing truly goes into a book, and that the author’s title is rarely used. Maberry gave many tips for how to start out in the business and even ways to contact him for further information. I truly enjoyed this trip and all that it had to offer.

Barnes and Noble

I found the field trip to Barnes and Noble informative and interesting. I was really able to learn a lot from what Terri, Jonathan and the CRM had to say. Before this trip, I had no idea that so much went into running a bookstore. As a lead bookseller, Terri has many responsibilities to fulfill including making the decision as to whether a book gets sent back to the publisher or not. Also, I had seen people like Terri using the PDTs in other stores, but I never knew what they did. I found it fascinating that such a little device gave them so much information about each book.

This field trip also made me aware of the PR opportunities involved in working in large retail stores. I love creating newsletters and planning special events. The position of CRM seems like it would be right up my alley and something I’m interested in looking into. I could see myself figuring out ways to draw customers into the store and getting the community involved.

Finally, I felt that Jonathan Mayberry’s passion for the field really got me excited to learn more about it. I was shocked to learn that authors (for the most part) do not get to choose the title of their book or what the cover looks like. That just doesn’t seem fair to me. I also could not believe that the author only receives approximately ten percent of the cost of the book. In that aspect, becoming an author seems discouraging. After all the hard work you put into a book, you only receive ten percent of the cost while the retailer enjoys fifty percent. All in all, the trip taught me a lot about the basics of bookselling and publishing.

Matt's Barnes and Noble Reaction

In order to be honest I’d have to admit right away that I didn’t have very high expectations for the class trip to the Deptford Barnes and Noble. I couldn’t have been more wrong though. I thought that both presentations were very interesting and insightful in their own rights. I especially enjoyed the content of Jonathan Mayberry’s lecture. As a prospective writer (I’m interested in sports journalism which is like novel writing on a much, much smaller scale) I was very surprised by the core notion of Mr. Mayberry’s presentation: writing may be an art, but being a writer requires business savvy and the ability to treat one’s art like a commodity. I definitely was intrigued by this drastically different, insider’s perspective of the writing industry, especially coming from an author with a laundry list of works and many years of experience. I also was fascinated when Mr. Mayberry told us about the arduous, kicking and screaming process behind the scenes of getting a book to the shelves. I was shocked by some of the quirks and eccentricities of the business, like how editors and publishers are most often responsible for picking the title of a book, or how the end cap position in the book store is purchased by the publisher with the aim to boost book sales. The point about being able to revise work on an editor’s whim was one that hit home for me. When I become invested in something I’m writing I find it incredibly difficult to have to make changes, so I can’t even imagine having to rewrite an entire plot line or ending like Mr. Mayberry talked about.

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Barnes and Noble

Going to Barnes and Noble is always a treat for me. I must admit I was excited when I found out we had a trip there. I arrived early so I could check out the store, since I was unfamiliar with this Deptford store.
I shop at Barnes and Noble a lot, but I never knew about the system used to record all the books in the store. The wand they use is kind of interesting, it can tell you so much. It can even tell you where a book belongs. All it needs is the ISBN.
I enjoyed hearing the author Jonathan Mayberry’s talk. I do intend on writing a book one day, and his suggestions will really help me. I would actually like to attend one of the coffeehouse meetings, I am just too shy. Maybe one day I will gather up the courage and go because it would help me in so many ways.

Trip to Barnes&Noble

Barnes&Noble is one of my favorite stores and it was great to learn about the inner workings that keep it running. The employees who spoke to us really seemed to enjoy their jobs and happily answered all of our questions. Even though I shop at Barnes&Noble quite often, I never browsed the way I did last week; and I was surprised at all the different genres of books that the store offers.

The most interesting facts I learned were how long a book stays on the shelf if it does not sell, and the fact that Barnes&Noble gets extra money for placing certain books in displays at the end of the aisle. I also never understood how employees kept track of each one of those books. Not surprisingly, it was as time consuming as I imagined it would be!

I may need a new job this summer, and after our tour of Barnes&Noble I think it was be a fun place to work, and a good opportunity to expand my knowledge of books. The fact that authors come and speak there could also be helpful for me. Although I hope I won't have to participate in storytime in the children's section
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Reaction to Barnes and Noble trip - Erin

       I have worked in retail before, so some of what the first speaker, the girl who works for Barnes and Noble, said wasn’t news to me, but there were a few things she mentioned that I had not known before. The most interesting things I learned from her were the cost breakdown of a book and the shelf life of a new book. I knew that new books weren’t faced on the shelves for very long, but I didn’t know it was that short of a period of time.

       The next speaker, author Jonathan Maberry, was very interesting to me. Since I want to be an author myself, I found his insight into the business side of writing invaluable. I also found it very interesting how he helps run a writing center in Pennsylvania. I definitely plan on checking it out after his speaking about it. I had already known some of the things he mentioned, such as authors very rarely get to decide on cover art for their books and so forth, but some of the other things he spoke about were completely new to me. Obviously, I knew there was a business side to writing, but I didn’t realize how much of that is the writer’s responsibility. Overall, I really enjoyed the class’s visit to Barnes and Noble.

Fun times @ Barnes and Noble =)

Upon entering the Barnes and Noble bookstore, I was not sure what to expect. I had interest in publishing but I was not sure of the exact process of publishing. Since I was a young girl, I have always had intentions to become a successful writer. I can honestly say I thought I had it all figured out. I was wrong. The trip to Barnes and Noble not only gave me a greater knowledge on the subject matter of Publishing, but it also allowed me to realize how perfect this job may ultimately be for me in the future.
When Johnathan Maberry began to talk, I felt as if I was looking into a mirror. Everything he said is exactly how I feel about writing. I am so happy that he was the guest speaker because he presented a lot of valid and important information about the book world. It was truly an inspiration to see how successful he is. I have been writing a novel for about a year now and to have someone talk about the struggles and successes of writing is great. I look forward to attending his workshops at Writers Corner USA because I feel he alone can offer useful information, tools and tips about the writing world.

Trip to B&N

The visit to the Barnes and Noble bookstore was very rewarding. I was unaware that only 10% of a book’s price will actually land in the hands of the author. I was surprised that 50% of the profits are received by the actual bookstore. Also shocking, classics, such as To Kill a Mockingbird, make up 80% of the books sold at Barnes and Noble.
The Deptford Barnes and Noble store makes an average of 1500 transactions every day, including books, music, and café items. For books and materials that are not bought, the employees use “PDT’ guns to locate the proper location of books.
Being able to listen to the perspective of a writer made the trip worthwhile. According Jonathan Maberry, “writing a book is less than one-third the work” involved in getting your work onto a bookstore shelf. He explained that editors often tweak original titles so that they will contain popularly searched keywords, increasing sales. He continued by describing the relationship a writer must have with his/her editor, and encouraged us to pursue freelance work as a good starting point.
In edition to the tips Maberry offered in working with a publishing company, he told us what sells and what doesn’t. Stephen King writes “thrillers”, not “horror;” horror doesn’t sell.

January 30, 2007

Dear Diary,

I don't know how to read. I hope no one on the internet finds out.

Love,
Kevin

B & N Reaction

Reaction to Barnes and Noble Visit
Today’s visit to Barnes and Noble was both interesting and personally satisfying. I visit the store at least twice a month, but have never had the chance to learn anything about the place that frequently relieves my daily stress. The first part, presented by Terri Walsh, was mostly about the fundamentals of the store’s operations, which oddly enough fascinated me. The fact that 50% of a book’s profit goes to the retailer rather than the publisher or author was very surprising. I was also very surprised that true crime represents the number one area for sales in the Deptford store.
I never knew Barnes and Noble had a monthly calendar of events or that 195 books arrive everyday. Equally impressive is the number of transactions that occur in the store, which is around 1500. I also never knew there was a company distributor in Jamesburg, NJ. I enjoyed the information about ISBNs and the breakdown of book categories, which include trade paper, mass market, and trade cloth. I realized that while I may love books, I certainly have little knowledge of the publishing lingo or basics. The PDT was also pretty interesting, because it’s like a mini computer right at your fingertips. I found everything that Jonathan Maberry had to say very interesting as I, myself, would like to write fictional books one day.

~Alexis

Barnes and Noble

After our visit to Barnes and Noble I’ve developed a new respect for its employees. I have never worked in any type of retail but I can imagine that the customers that treat the store like their own personal office space or kiddie daycare center can make a job more stressful than it has to be.
I especially enjoyed Jonathan Maberry’s insight into the publishing world. I’ve never had the chance to hear a published author or anyone actively involved in the publishing field, besides professors, talk about their experience. Being a Writing Arts major and soon to be graduating in May, people are constantly asking me what I want to do after graduation and I never have an answer. But since our Barnes and Noble visit I feel like I have a better idea about the publishing world and now realize there are so many more areas I can get into besides strictly writing.

Check one:two

I still say we should have used Ms. Moto.

Barnes and Noble Visit

The Barnes and Noble visit shed a whole new light from the behind the scenes of the bookstore business. A fascinating fact I learned was that about 8% of sales are from backlist titles. I think its great that famous books are still being sold.
I also did not know that Barnes and Noble have their own publishing system to publish reprints, which makes their brand of books cheaper for the consumer. I also learned that most books printed before 1900 are not covered under a copyright. This came as a shock to me because I was not aware that there were books without copyrights.
Jonathan Mayberry is a very experienced author. He seems to be very savvy of his profession in writing and in helping authors get published. I agree with him entirely, that a good cover on a book and a catchy title will get a potential buyer to look at your book.
Overall my experience to Barnes and Noble was a well-informed event. I learned important information that pertains to my business plans for my future, by meeting a lead bookseller from Barnes and Noble and an independent author.

edit: here's my title.

hey!

Barnes and Noble

When you first step into a Barnes and Noble a mist of lattes and sophistication is felt in the air. The smell of freshly ground coffee and newly printed pages amerce every one your senses. Some people think of it as a second home, a place to gather and discuss the topics of the day. While others enjoy browsing through the pages, sipping their cappuccino and feeling their mind grow by every turn of the page. Underneath this illusion of a mellow, laid back setting is a capitalistic machine churning its engines along with McDonalds and Microsoft.
Barnes and Noble’s flagship store in Manhattan’s on Fifth Avenue and 18th Street opened its doors in 1917. After 60 years of decline, the 1970’s saw the re emergence of Barnes and Nobles as “The World’s Largest Book Store.” Innovations in sales techniques along with the purchasing of many publishing companies saw Barnes and Noble grow into the empire of today. The bottom line is to sell their products, just the same as any other corporation.
Barnes and Noble is a bookstore, not the library. When customers sit in their chairs and read a whole book throughout the day, it is not a widely advised practice. In fact most titles are strategically placed for marketing purposes. There is not too much depth to the reading selections, because just as any other company, Barnes and Noble is looking for what is popular and is a big seller. Don’t be fooled by the trended sounds and smells of the Barnes and Noble, they want you to buy just like any other company.

Barnes & Noble Reaction

Prior to our class visit to Barnes & Noble, I was unaware of the amount of time and effort associated with satisfying the wide range of needs for the company’s customers. Over the years I have gone into B& N almost weekly, but never took the time to understand exactly how the company kept the stores in such pristine condition. Following the presentation given by Barnes and Noble employee Terri Walsh, my perspective on the organization altered tremendously.

One of the most interesting things I learned from our visit was the intense monitoring that goes into each book found in the store. I was always under the impression that the publishers simply sent a bunch of books and Barnes and Noble just held onto them until they were sold out. Contrary to my belief, B&N closely monitors the sales of each book and in the event it does not sell, the book is shipped back to the publisher. If in fact the book does not perform, Barnes and Noble either sends it directly back to the publisher or back to their distribution center for re-shipping.


After hearing from Terri Walsh and Dave Maberry, I found myself in shock of how interesting the publishing industry could be. Before this trip, I never took the time to see just how many different aspects of publishing there is and that there is a potential to make a great deal of money. This class trip significantly altered my perceptions of the “book making” business and given reason to research a potential career in publishing.


Ryan T.

Barnes and Noble

I’ve been to Barnes and Noble many times, but it wasn’t till the latest visit on Tuesday that I actually took everything in; the environment and all the people around me.
Usually, I would walk and go right to the section that I assumed the book I desired at the time would be in, but this time the other customers in the store grabbed my attention. As I walked up and down the isles, I noticed men and women of all ages sitting comfortably in chairs and couches around the store, reading books and magazines. Most of them were half way into books that seemed to be 200 pages or more. Had they been there all day? Had they been there every day this week even?
During the presentation that Terri Walsh gave (once Rowan student and currently a Barnes and Noble employee) to me and the rest of my classmates, my questions were quickly answered. Terri explained that people were allowed to come in, sit, and read all day, every day and no one would ever bother them. Millions of books with the second largest coffee shop at their disposal. That sure beats a public library, I thought to myself.
Just as I got over my obsession with the other people in the store, Jon Mayberry began to talk with us about his experience in the publishing industry. I could have done without the screaming kid in the background though.

Weblog or Blog!

Sweet, now we have a blog. Hopefully this will not be as addicting as facebook or myspace.

Barnes & Noble Reaction

When I first heard that we would be taking a trip to Barnes & Noble, I immediately was excited. Reading has always been one of my favorite hobbies since I was a young child. Due to my intellectual hobby, I have found myself in many Barnes & Nobles throughout the nineteen years of my life. Barnes & Noble to me is apart of who I am thus the excitement regarding our little class trip.

Once at Barnes & Noble, I didn’t know what to expect. I was unsure of what it was exactly that we would be doing at Barnes & Noble and curious as to who was going to be speaking with us. Quickly, I found my answer. Many facts were thrown at our attentive class. I never knew about a lot of the background that occurs before a book is put on a shelf or display in Barnes & Noble, furthermore, I never realized the different job opportunities that a bookstore like Barnes & Noble possesses for interested people.

The discussion at Barnes & Noble quickly taught me a lot about the running of a bookstore along with the inside look at an author’s life and relationship to their agent, editor, and publisher. The overall message that I received from the visit to Barnes & Noble was that writing and creating books is ultimately a business rather than an art form. As Johnathon Maberry stated, it is “the business of art”.

Field Trip Response

The trip to Barnes & Noble was such an overwhelmingly positive experience that two-hundred words could scarcely capture my feelings. Particularly enlightening was speaker Jonathon Maberry, who detailed his life as a published author. He spoke of the relationship between author and agent, author and editor, and, the combative union of art and commercialism. I thought it was interesting that Maberry made artistic concessions to maintain a fruitful relationship with his editor. And although Maberry claimed to have vented frustrations to his agent, he showed no ill will toward the editor. Clearly this man’s business instincts are as sharp as his literary chops.
Maberry kindly made himself available to individual students after lecturing the class as a whole. He proved to be a wealth of information, and I learned much during our brief discussion. It was suggested I write query letters to agents before exploring the option of self-publishing. In fact, Maberry offered to email me a sample query letter—the same query letter that netted two of his pupils’ book deals. He recommended I visit the publishersmarketplace.com and examine purchasing trends of publishers, so as to pinpoint agents partial to my writing genre.

The Noble Barn

The thing that surprised me the most about Barnes & Noble was that they were selling advertising space. Selling prime shelf space to publishers seems counter-productive. I thought that Barnes & Noble chose the books that would be displayed. That way they would be able to push books thy felt would sell the best and make more money. I guess they are generating more revenue by offering good product placement than they would by selling more books.

I was also amazed by the sheer number of books in the store. I have a cut-throat perception of large businesses. I wouldn’t have expected B&N to carry books that sell only one copy a week, or less.

I was surprised by the author’s advice, “do whatever your editor wants.” I don’t consider my writing my art, but I still value my own judgment. He made a good point though. I’m going to be better off picking my battles and selling more articles than making a huff over something insignificant, like a book title, and losing interest from a publisher.

Weird book: "I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence" by Amy Sedaris

B & N

When thinking about Barnes and Noble, i just think "books," but after visiting the store i've realized that is not all that is there. After our B & N visit, i knew it wasn't just about books. According to the management and employees, there is much more to it being just another bookstore. I learned that they recieve 2 to 3 pallets of books a day which is about 195 boxes of books and go through about 1500 transactions at the registers throughout one day. There is a cafe inside where you can get starbucks products while your children sit in on story time.

This visit definitely taught me a lot that i did not know. I became ver knowledgeable on all the different aspects of the store and the books. I learned about short listing and back listing as well as shelf life of books which is 90 days. I also learned that authors really do not have a say over the cover of their books, it's up to the editor to know what the people are attracted too.

Barnes & Noble Field Trip

I was surprised, after almost two years of employment at Barnes and Noble in Deptford, at the amount of new information that was presented to me about the store and how it is operated. I had heard the terms “frontlist” and “backlist” before, but was not entirely sure what they meant, or how it was determined which category a title would fall under. I was also aware that an “e-shop” was conducted at manager meetings, but did not know what that entailed. I now fully understand the process of receiving and returning retail product within the store.
I very much enjoyed the insight Terri Walsh offered into her Graduate program at Rosemont. I did not know that Publishing was such an obscure major at the Graduate level. It was also very reassuring to hear that Publishing is an industry for all areas of interest, whether you are talented in art, writing, editing, music, etc.

I found Jonathan Maberry to be extremely interesting. I was impressed by his levels of experience and success. As an English major I have been asked repeatedly what I plan to do with my degree. When others learn that I do not plan to teach, they are confused as to what can been done with a Bachelor’s in English. Mr. Maberry is proof that writing and editing skills open up a wealth of professional opportunities.