From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!npoiv!npois!houxm!houxa!houxi!houxz!ihnp4!ixn5c!inuxc!pur-ee!uiucdcs!uicsl!preece Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers Title: Re: Success of Heinlein's 'Friday' - (nf) Article-I.D.: uiucdcs.1504 Posted: Fri Feb 18 13:18:14 1983 Received: Sun Feb 20 04:51:24 1983 #R:microsof:-552300:uicsl:10700007:000:890 uicsl!preece Feb 18 10:52:00 1983 It's hard to see how a book that spent that many weeks on the Times Bestsellers list could be described as not well liked. The remaindering indicates that the final printing and returns left the publisher with more inventory than was desired in anticipation of the paperback. I don't recall seeing Friday at bookstore remainder sales, yet. It could also be that PC is using it as a promo and payed more than normal remainder prices for it. An interesting related question: Are publishers treating the SF bestsellers like normal bestsellers or like normal SF when it comes to backlist and inventory? The printing and inventory strategies for genre stuff and mainline have generally been quite different; how do publishers respond to the unusual genre item that breaks out to the mainstream lists? This year's amazing SF performance must have left the publishers wondering just what to do.