PUBLISHER SETS UP MINIMUM ON ORDERS; SMALL BOOKSTORES TO FEEL COST CRUNCH.Byline: Enrique Enrique (IPA [en'ɾike]) is the Spanish form of the name Henry. As a given name, it ranked 298 out of 1219 for males of all ages in the 1990 U.S. Census. Rivero Daily News Staff Writer To bookstore owner Dave Dutton Dutton has several meanings:
tr.v. be·lea·guered, be·lea·guer·ing, be·lea·guers 1. To harass; beset: We are beleaguered by problems. 2. To surround with troops; besiege. state of independent bookstores. Dutton, co-owner with his wife, Judy, of Dutton's Books in Valley Village, was one of some 3,500 booksellers recently notified that Indianapolis-based Macmillan would no longer accept orders from retailers whose annual net purchases totaled less than $10,000. As of July 1, these stores had to order the approximately 5,000 reference and computer titles covered by the new policy through local wholesalers. ``The biggest effect on us is the discount factor; we'll lose 7 or 8 percent discounts by ordering through the wholesaler rather than through ordering through the publisher,'' Dutton said. ``And, unfortunately, Macmillan publishes a number of titles that are necessary for the well-stocked store.'' Macmillan's new policy wasn't intended to pick on small independents, said Deb Romanczuk, vice president of sales, operations and marketing for Macmillan. The decision was made after determining it takes seven to 10 times longer to fill small orders than it does to fill larger orders typical of bigger bookstores and chains. ``Specifically the rationale rationale (rash´  nal´),n the fundamental reasons used as the basis for a decision or action. is one of focus,'' Romanczuk said. ``I am not capable of servicing these customers as well as the distributors are, and because I'm a publisher and not a distributor, I prefer to invest my resources on the publishing side of the business and leave distribution to those who are better at it.'' Under a program worked out as part of the new policy, six distributors across the country will have enough stock to ensure that affected booksellers can still obtain the Macmillan titles they want through a distributor, she said. ``They maintain certain stocking levels of our product to give us the best opportunity possible of making all our products available to our customers,'' she said. But Judy Dutton learned Wednesday that Macmillan's new system is flawed flaw 1 n. 1. An imperfection, often concealed, that impairs soundness: a flaw in the crystal that caused it to shatter. See Synonyms at blemish. 2. when she could not order from a local distributor a single copy of a scholarly book about China for a high school principal in North Hollywood. The distributor said the book wasn't in stock. ``To me it's a restriction of free trade, I should be able to supply anyone with any book,'' she said. ``It worries me. I don't want to start a big brouhaha, but maybe it's a big brouhaha. ``If other publishers follow this it's going to be a big mess.'' Brian Draper Brian G. Draper is a British brass band musician and conductor. He currently judges brass band contests around the Midlands as well as conducting the Bestwood Welfare Black Diamonds Brass Band. , owner of Geographia Map and Travel Bookstore in Burbank, said he doubts he'll have trouble obtaining the titles he wants through his local distributor. Still, like the Duttons he's worried that Macmillan's move would become a trend, even though no other publishers have announced similar programs. The American Booksellers Association called Macmillan's new distribution plan unprecedented and has launched a publicity campaign against Macmillan. To Draper drap·er n. Chiefly British A dealer in cloth or clothing and dry goods. [Middle English, weaver or seller of cloth, from Old French drapier, from drap, cloth; see , Macmillan's move was just another kick in the independent booksellers' pants. ``The feeling I'm getting is that it shows a sort of lack of respect to the smaller independents,'' he said. ``It's sort of like they don't take our business seriously.'' BOOK DEALERS BOUND Indianapolis-based Macmillan Publishing recently notified about 3,500 book retailers the company would no longer accept direct orders from book sellers whose annual net purchases total less than $10,000. The new policy applies to about 5,000 reference and computer titles and includes the following popular titles and series: Frommer's travel guides Webster's New World Dictionary Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language is an American dictionary first published in 1951 and presently published by John Wiley & Sons. The first edition was published by the World Publishing Company of Cleveland, Ohio in two volumes or one large Betty Crocker Betty Crocker, an invented persona and mascot, is a brand name and trademark of American food company General Mills. The name was first developed by the Washburn Crosby Company in 1921 as a way to give a personalized response to consumer product questions. cookbooks The following is a list of cookbooks, sorted alphabetically by author's surname. This is not a list of external links to commercial sites; please list only cookbooks here. This literature-related list is incomplete; you can help by [ expanding it]. Arco test preparation guides JK Lasser's annual tax guides The ``Complete Idiot's Guide'' series on subjects ranging from health to computers to sports. The ``Special Edition Using'' series of computer manuals. CAPTION(S): Photo, Box Box: (Color) BOOK DEALERS BOUND (See text) Photo: (Color) Dave Dutton of Dutton's Bookstore in Valley Village has had trouble with stock with Macmillan Publishing Inc.'s new distributor program. David R. Crane/Daily News |
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