What’s Hot, What’s Not at Book Depot
June 14, 2018
Bookstore owner: “For this buyers’ job, we need someone who is responsible.”
Applicant: “I’m the one you want. In my last job, every time there was a problem, they said I was responsible.”
Sound like someone you know? Have you ever been the “responsible” buyer for some duds? I’m quite sure we’ve all had our share of purchases that never materialized into profitable sales. Let’s admit it—it can be difficult to select all winners when we have a store or chain of stores to keep fully stocked with great titles that appeal to our customer base. This blog will hopefully help you a bit in discovering what’s hot and what’s not in the world of bargain books.
As one of North America’s largest purchasers of bargain books, Book Depot gets a huge selection of titles arriving every day. As a point of interest, we are now sorting 400 pallets of bargain books per week! Some of the product that finds its way into our inventory is like pure gold and sells out quickly. At the other end of the spectrum are books that have lost their relevance and salability. These will be quickly separated (often at the point of initial sortation) and recycled into various paper-based products. In between, where the bulk of our inventory falls, are good to great titles that you as a buyer need to sift through and decide what may or may not sell in your store(s).
Based on the last six months of sales at Book Depot and interviews with several of our seasoned sales reps, we have the following information you may find helpful:
What’s Hot:
- Kids’ titles that have a STEM component (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics)
- Kids’ titles with a different format like sound books, lift-the-flap, and box sets
- Fiction continues to sell very well, and in some cases, trade paper outsells hardcover due to the lower price point and less bulky format
- Political books relating to recent events and certain individuals – any guesses on this one?
- Inspirational and self-help titles, especially when linked to a well-known individual or celebrity
- Brick-and-mortar stores do well with kids’ storybooks and board books that don’t necessarily need to be written by a big-name author, but instead, have a nice quality about them. Here is where the touch and feel experience makes all the difference
- Adult colouring books, but a lower price point is key to successful sales
- Cookbooks that are written by celebrities and/or deal with vegan and gluten-free content
What’s Not So Hot:
- Generic cookbooks, especially those without rich, colourful content
- Computer and Internet
- Education
- Sports and Recreation
- Low-end paperback romance
In summary, content that is freely available on the internet tends not to sell well in printed form. Maybe it goes without saying, but high-quality content that is relevant (or timeless), priced well, entertaining, and worth sharing is going to find a customer and enrich their lives.
With over 50,000 current titles in stock, we have a huge selection of great books. Below is a special list of 35 top-selling titles at Book Depot, recommended by our sales staff, for your buying consideration:
| Cover | ISBN | Title | Category | List Price (USD) | Our Price (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
9780062651754 | Pharaoh (A Novel of Ancient Egypt) | Fiction | $19.99 | $2.25 |
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9781250045478 | Victoria | Fiction | $16.99 | $3.50 |
 |
9780425280126 | Island of Glass (Guardians Trilogy, Bk. 3) | Fiction | $17.00 | $2.50 |
 |
9780765377043 | Children of the Fleet (Fleet School, Bk. 1) | Fiction | $25.99 | $3.75 |
 |
9781501124389 | Everyone Brave is Forgiven | Fiction | $16.00 | $2.25 |
 |
9780684822761 | In Our Time | Fiction | $14.00 | $3.50 |
 |
9781250075857 | Mind Game (Eve Duncan) | Fiction | $27.99 | $4.50 |
 |
9781250119889 | You Are Here: An Owner’s Manual for Dangerous Minds | Humor | $15.99 | $2.50 |
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9780062568892 | Victoria: The Heart and Mind of a Young Queen | History & Geography | $29.99 | $5.00 |
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9781250080431 | Pogue’s Basics: Life | House & Home | $19.99 | $3.25 |
 |
9781250087256 | Obsessed! (Hungry Girl, Clean & Hungry) | Cooking, Food & Wine | $21.99 | $4.50 |
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9781250127761 | The How Not to Die Cookbook | Cooking, Food & Wine | $29.99 | $6.50 |
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9780894803123 | Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book | Cooking, Food & Wine | $10.95 | $2.50 |
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9780062409706 | Nevertheless: A Memoir | Biography & Autobiography | $28.99 | $3.25 |
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9780312553685 | I’d Know You Anywhere, My Love | Children Fiction | $17.99 | $3.00 |
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9780448437477 | The Night Before First Grade | Children Fiction | $3.99 | $1.00 |
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9780451534040 | The Crayons’ Book of Colors | Children Fiction | $8.99 | $2.25 |
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9781848698611 | My Book of Animal Babies | Children Fiction | $8.95 | $2.00 |
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9781848698567 | One Rainy Day | Children Fiction | $8.95 | $2.00 |
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9781474821483 | Snowflakes and Sparkles Coloring Book with Crayons (Disney Frozen) | Children Fiction | $4.99 | $1.00 |
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9781474821490 | Hopes and Heroes Coloring Book with Crayons (Disney Pixar) | Children Fiction | $4.99 | $1.00 |
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9781474821681 | Dare to Dream Paint Palette Book (Disney Pixar) | Children Fiction | $7.99 | $2.00 |
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9781481492201 | Daniel Tiger’s 5-Minute Stories (Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood) | Children Fiction | $12.99 | $2.75 |
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9780689832130 | Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type | Children Fiction | $17.99 | $3.00 |
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9780374300210 | If Animals Kissed Good Night | Children Fiction | $7.99 | $2.00 |
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9781680520606 | A New Toy Truck (Touch & Feel Busy Workshop) | Children Fiction | $12.99 | $3.25 |
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9781680520743 | Brave Little Camper | Children Fiction | $12.99 | $3.25 |
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9781680520095 | First Words Lift-a-Flap Book (Babies Love) | Children Fiction | $7.99 | $2.00 |
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9780544454361 | Let’s Cook! (Sesame Street) | Children Nonfiction | $17.99 | $1.50 |
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9780312522827 | First 100 Numbers | Children Nonfiction | $5.99 | $1.50 |
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9781250151070 | Way of the Warrior Kid | Tweens Fiction | $13.99 | $2.50 |
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9780375870644 | The Fourteenth Goldfish | Tweens Fiction | $16.99 | $3.00 |
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9781484789728 | Disney Beauty and the Beast (Art of Coloring) | Crafts & Hobbies | $15.99 | $2.00 |
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9780892969982 | The Power of I Am: Two Words That Will Change Your Life Today | Religion & Spirituality | $14.99 | $3.75 |
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9781455517275 | The Mind Connection | Religion & Spirituality | $24.00 | $3.75 |
Bill Van Vliet
CIO
Book Depot