Some ideas for publishers that will help bookstores; other
suggestions that make us skeptical  This is the fourth of a
series of posts on bookstores and their future. The previous
posts have covered the challenges of buying (proposing VMI as a
possible solution), explored what we should expect for the
future of Barnes & Noble, and envisioned what the world of
brick-and-mortar book retail might look like in the years to
come. I promised previously to review the list of suggestions
for publishers to help bookstores recently rounded up by
Bookseller editor Philip Jones. He’s written more about this
since, but the “original” list from Philip included:  1.
Publishers offering books to retailers on consignment. That
means the store pays when the book sells rather than on a date
based on when it was shipped to them.  2. Publishers offering
books to retailers with higher discounts. That means giving
stores more margin between the price they pay and the price the
publisher “suggests” as the retail price.  3. Bookstore