Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for November 21, 2011
November 20, 2011
November 22, 2011
Transcript:
Jeff: What's that, Becca? You say you've shipped 50,000 copies of "The Red Rascal"? That's incredible! I had no idea I'd sell that many books! Rick: Actually, it's too soon to know. Shipping isn't the same as selling. Jeff: Hold, Becca. Dad's taking a whiz on my big news. Rick: I'd be happy to explain the difference to you.
Bookstores order as many books as they think they can sell, BUT if they don’t sell them, they can return them to the publisher. So, at this point, Jeff hasn’t SOLD book one. (ALSO: over 80% of books that are printed and sent to bookstores are returned, after which they usually end up in landfill. It’s an incredibly wasteful system in so many ways.)