Update Announcements by Craig Stark #46, 4 July 2005

Ah, July ... the shank of the bookselling season!

Well, maybe. Maybe not. Whatever time of year it is, there remains a certain class of books that are fully insulated against seasonal slowdowns. These books sell month in, month out, for prices that make booksellers perennially happy. Even in July. If your sales are slow, this might be a great time to start upgrading your inventory. If you don't know what "insulated" books are or where to find them, a subscription to one or both of BookThink's premium newsletters will show you. Also, we have a special offer for new readers in July: buy all 16 back issues of the Gold Edition for $59.99 - a savings of over $20 off the single issue price. This offer will be good until July 31.

Of course, upgrading one's inventory also means culling lower quality stock, and to assist again, BookThink's Science Fiction Editor Timothy Doyle begins a 2-part series on bookselling at Science Fiction Conventions. As he explains, cons are great venues for ridding yourself of underperforming books and making a few bucks while you're at it. Along the way, you can also make valuable contacts with authors and other sellers.

Thanks to all charter subscribers who have renewed your Gold Edition subscriptions. Later this week, a follow-up renewal notice will be sent to procrastinators, after which we promise not to bug you! Note that the final deadline for renewal is August 1. If you didn't receive a notice, write me at editor@bookthink.com and I'll forward an invoice.