thumb|upright=1.3|Stack of books with remaindering markings on the bottom next to the spine
Remaindered books or remainders are printed books that are no longer selling well, and the remaining unsold copies of which are liquidated by the publisher at greatly reduced prices. While publishers may take a net loss on the sales of such books, they are able to recover at least some of their sunk costs on the sale and to clear out space in the warehouses.
Copies of remaindered books may be marked by the publisher, distributor, or bookseller to prevent them from being returned. "Remainder marks" have varied over the years, but today most remainders are marked with a stroke with a felt-tipped marker across the top or bottom of the book's pages, near the spine.
Typically, only hardcovers and trade paperbacks (paperback books, often larger than "pocket" paperbacks, sold "to the trade" or directly to sales outlets) are remaindered. Poorly selling mass-market paperbacks ("pocket" paperback books sold through a third-party distributor) usually become stripped books rather than remainders. A typical remaindered book will be purchased far below the retail price by a specialist in remainders and resold for a fraction of the retail price.
See also
- Cut-out (recording industry)
References
External links
- Remaindered Books and Remainder Marks (from the International On-Line Booksellers Association)
- Clive James (2 June 1983). "The book of my enemy has been remaindered". London Review of Books.