Workman Gives Booksellers a Square Deal

This September, Workman Publishing launches The Square Deal, a program that blends its bestselling backlist with a standout display and generous terms. Each month, Workman will send a mix of selected titles to be promoted on a 15½-square-inch wooden cube that will be provided to participating stores. Booksellers can order adult and/or children’s assortments.

“Workman Publishing created Square Deal to help booksellers maximize their sales on our bestselling backlist with almost no risk to their bottom lines and yet there’s a tremendous upside if we grow sales together,” said Steven Pace, Workman sales director. “The titles selected for Square Deal are our tried and true titles that have solid track records with the indies.”

“We applaud Workman’s creativity in helping reinvent the way publishers and booksellers do business together,” said ABA CEO Oren Teicher. “We strongly believe that programs such as this will help us all sell more books.”

The way Square Deal works is that once a month, beginning in September, Workman will send one or two collections of backlist sellers, a children’s selection and/or an adult selection (depending on the store order). The titles are proven seasonal bestsellers, everything from Sandra Boynton to cookbooks, kids’ activity titles to adult impulse buys. Every order will also include full-color signage specific to the book assortment. Orders contain about 20 to 40 units, and the title assortment is selected by Workman.

The Square Deal includes:

• One or two free cube displays with the initial order, depending on the order
• Once-a-month shipments, minimum $120 and maximum $200 net per cube
• 50 percent discount, returnable, plus free freight and 120-day dating
• $20 co-op credit each month

“They’ve got a great idea,” said John Hugo of Hugo Bookstores [1] in Massachusetts. “I can’t see it not working. The packaging is great, and the terms are amazing. It’s very solid as Workman always is, and it came with a great picture of how to merchandise it, which is always really helpful.”

Tom Campbell of The Regulator Bookshop [2] Durham, North Carolina, was instantly sold on The Square Deal. “The cubes are cute,” he said. “They’re going to get a lot of attention. They look really nice, and they were a great deal.”

Booksellers interested in learning more about The Square Deal should contact their Workman sales rep. Details are also available in this downloadable Square Deal brochure [3].