Comments on: Let’s talk about going after pre-orders

By: Ann Kingman

Ann Kingman — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 04:29:47 +0000

Thanks for the comments.

Most independent bookstores do have the capability to accept preorders, and I believe just about any store will accept a telephone reservation. But I think that sometimes stores forget to promote that service.

By: Booksellers Blog » A Lion Called Christian video - link for those of you with that read this blog via email

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 12:28:39 +0000

[...] apologies! The previous article included an embedded version of the YouTube video for A Lion Called [...]

By: Gay

Gay — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 22:23:44 +0000

I love pre-ordering, and I definitely think Indie’s should jump on the bandwagon. The next thing I need to do, though, is figure out a system in my house where we can notify each other and keep track of which books we’ve pre-ordered so we don’t end up with 5 copies again (as happened with the last book in the HP series, when we each pre-ordered a copy from Amazon and hubby and daughter ALSO pre-ordered from B&N). Yes, my family single-handedly doing their part to keep the book business afloat!

By: Tiffany Schmidt

Tiffany Schmidt — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 21:43:18 +0000

As a frequent bookstore customer, I love the option of pre-ordering. This way I don’t have to worry about forgetting when a book I’m waiting for comes out. If it’s pre-ordered I can just wait confidently for it to arrive. I love my Indie bookstore, but I have to admit that Amazon makes this whole process a lot easier: e-mailing me ahead of time when the next books in a series is ready for pre-order, tracking my tastes, etc. Typically I take the info from Amazon and then call it in to the bookstore of my choice, but how much better would it be if the Indies could figure out a more streamlined way of handling pre-orders. There’s nothing better than answering my phone and hearing, “the book you ordered has come in and is waiting for you to pick it up!”

By: Guy LeCharles Gonzalez

Guy LeCharles Gonzalez — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 21:28:53 +0000

I noted over at the LitPark discussion preceding your visit that indies need to learn from how Amazon has built such a loyal community and localize it. They can’t compete on price, but they should definitely be able to offer superior service, especially in the areas of recommending books based on past purchases and soliciting reviews on books to share with others. Go beyond staff picks and the bestsellers table and amplify the voices of individuals in their respective communities. The technology is all there and relatively easy to use.