How do I get my game in a chain store?

[Sylus Thane]

After reading the thread on "Is the local FLGS obselete?" I got curious. I noticed stores such as Borders, Barnes and Noble, mentioned many times. What I'm wondering is how does one go about about getting their game available in such a store? I know if I had my choice between my FLGS and say Hastings to see my book on the shelf i much prefer Hastings. Not that I have anything against my LGS but they seem to have the same two dozen people in it at all times, focus way more on wargames, and I have been personally behind the scenes during all three of their reincarnations due to financial instability. Hastings or a bookstore such as B&N seems much more stable in my opinion and gets way more traffic of non traditional gamers.


So how would one work to get their game seen within these larger more trafficked store?

Thanks ahead of time,
Sylus

[Gold Rush Games]

As I understand it, there are two basic ways to get a product into a chain store.

 Note: This is over-simplified and that the actual details may be more complex than suggested. They are based on my somewhat limited experience with book trade sales. Also, someone with more information about the process may clarify or correct my statements below.

 Method One

 Get the main chain buyer/sales office to "pick up" the title. If the buyer for the chain passes down instructions for all stores to carry the prodcut, then all of the stores in the chain will do so. Generally this is the more difficult route to go, as you have to convince a very selective buyer that the store inthe chain should carry the product.

 Some chains have varying "levels" of product stocking, as well. For example, a chain may have "Level 1" (every store orders, say, 4 copies), "Level 2" (every store orders 2 copies), "Level 3" (only stores that carry product type X -- such as RPGs -- orders 1 copy), and "Level 4" (individual store buyers may order 1 or more, at their discretion).

 Some chains may not have such a policy and may rely solely on each individual store's manager or buyer to make the determination of what to carry or not to carry in their store.

 Method Two

 Many store chains have a "special orders" buyer for the store, who has the discretion to order products to be carried in the store without direction from HQ. Sometimes the manager of each section of a store has this authority (e.g., the manager of the "CCG & Roleplaying Games" section of a hobby store).

 Soliciting individual stores is perhaps an easier way to get one's product into stores, although it requires more work (multiple contacts versus a single contact at the HQ). But sometimes this is the only way a chain store will order something without being directed.

[Gordon C. Landis]

This may or may not apply to book "chain" stores - I think it does, but I'm not certain.  Anyway, a customary practice of large retailers is to ONLY buy product from companies who are willing to guarantee FULL reimbursment for any unsold and returned product.  So if they don't sell it, you pay them back what they paid you to stock it - not a great deal.

As I recall, in the case of bookstores you have to agree to not even actually GETTING the product back, merely the torn-off cover that indicates the product has been destroyed.  But the required reimbursement may not be "full" in this case . . .

In other words, selling into the mass-market retail world is usually a complex business transaction that most "one man shop" operations are unlikely to be successful in - but there are always exceptions.

I'd recommend some kinda real business analysis (from a partner, consultant - someone) before going down this path, but I'd LOVE to see more cool RPGs in your standard bookshop!

Gordon

[Jeffrey Miller]

I don't want to seem like a shill for Amazon.com, but I've 2-3 friends who are either small-run authors or musicians who list their books on Amazon through Amazon's "Advantage" program.  

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/subst/partners/direct/advantage/home.html

Just posting this as a possible venue for sales, not endorsing, recommending, or in any other way barking for Amazon.

[Dav]

All right.

With Obsidian, we got into Borders two ways.

1) I was boinking their "regional order specialist"... err, might not be an option.

2) They use DC and Ingram as their distribution houses.  Get your product to Ingram.  Here is how this bad-boy works...

Ingram buys X copies (like 2). If those 2 sell in 30 days, they order 4, if those go, then 8, then 16, then 32.  It caps at some rational point set by some "statistician" in the back room horribly misusing Excel.  Right now, they order 42 copies of Obsidian every month for specific distribution to Borders stores throughout the US.

We got them to order this many by special ordering our own product once we got on Ingram.  We'd call all over the nation, ordering our product, and actually purchasing it until it ramped to a point on the order-ladder that we were satisfied with.  It ain't pretty, it ain't dignified, but it works.


Dav

[clehrich]

Hey Dav,

Does the game now sell on its own?  I mean, now that you've got the thing into chain stores, do people buy it?  See, I'm wondering whether putting the things into chain stores actually produces sales.

[Dav]

Tracking sales through stores (rather than through distributors) is hard.  We had previously fulfilled about 5 special orders to Borders eachmonth previous to being in their regular distribution cycle.  

As Ingram has continued to order the same amount from us every 30 to 60 days, I would guess that the turnover rate for their distribution centers averages somewhere near 1/day (maybe a tad lower, but for easy math...).  Now, I kno that Ingram distributes to Borders, Barnes&Noble, and probably a hefty amount of other "traditional" bookstores.  How many and which ones, I honestly couldn't tell you without consulting the LMP Guide, which is currently at home and I am at work.

However, if I separate traditional versus nontraditional outlets, using Ingram as my only measure for traditional, and the mean order rate for distributors for nontraditional outlets, we sell about 45% more quickly in nontraditional outlets than in Borders and the like.  But... it is still an order, and we don't operate under hurdle rates, so we will ship to anyone.

It isn't bad.  It may even be good.  Besides, manypeople have access to a Borders but nt your FLGS, therefore, I tend to think of the books on the Borders shelves as for-sale advertisements.  I have a whole thing with this tha Ron Edwards and I originally formulated and intended for Sorcerer and Obsidian, but that is long and winding, and I think I need to replace my keyboard, as it keeps leaving out letters...

Dav

[samdowning]

Just a little note on Ingram...

They wouldn't carry our book unless we paid them.  Literally.  I can't remember if it was $200 or $2000 to get into their listings (doesn't matter either way - can't pay it).  Baker and Taylor, another book distributor, is not so hard to get linked up to, I understand.

[Dav]

Actually, DC, if you can put up with their "pay you eventually" schemes (just charge 2 points per month after the first 30 days... then they pay very quickly) distributes to Waldenbooks, B Dalton, Borders, and Barnes (which are 4 stores, 2 companies, I know).

DC ain't bad to be on, in the beginning.  After a while, you want to go down to their shipping center and begin to store their mutilated bodies in container 247, but y'know.

Dav