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.