Half Price Books currently has more than 120 stores in 17 states across the United States. The states they are located in are Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Texas.
There are also two stores located in the District of Columbia. Each store offers a wide selection of used books, music, movies, and more. It is also known for its bi-annual book sales, which have been a tradition for over 30 years.
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Where was the first Half Price Books?
The very first Half Price Books location opened on July 25, 1972 in a 300-square-foot storefront on Northwest Highway in Dallas, Texas. Founder Ken Gjemre and his wife, Pat, started their business with the inventive idea of buying used books and other products at a “half price” or less.
Although books were the mainstay of the store, music was soon added and the racks of records, tapes and CDs became a major part of the mix. As Half Price Books grew, it opened more stores and expanded its product selection to include all types of media, magazines, videotapes, greeting cards and art poster prints.
Today, more than 125 Half Price Books stores are located in 17 states and their customers include bargain hunters of all ages and from all walks of life.
Where does Half Price Books get their books from?
Half Price Books gets most of their books from a variety of sources such as individual donors, donations from their retail stores, bookstores, local libraries, estate sales, and more recently from a partnership with Better World Books.
The partnering with Better World Books allows Half Price Books to look for books in new, out-of-the-way places to ensure unique content for customers all over the world. Any of the materials that are purchased from Better World Books are shipped to Half Price Books distribution centers, and then added to their extensive book inventory.
Half Price Books also works with other partners to collect and purchase books from them in order to create even more options and variety for customers. They strive to find the best books from all sources in order to provide the widest selection of books out there.
Are Half Price Books really half price?
No, Half Price Books is not really half price. That’s just the name of the store. The books they sell are actually not marked up as much as standard bookstores, but they still do not offer book prices that are cut in half.
Some of the books they sell are marked up in pricing. In fact, they often have sales, such as their BOGO program, where you buy one book and get one free. During these sales you may find books that are cheaper than their original half price, but not always.
That’s because the books in the store come from all kinds of sources, like customers, publishers, and wholesalers, so the prices can vary.
Who is Half Price Books owned by?
Half Price Books is owned by Ken Gjemre, Kathy Doyle Thomas, and Sharon Anderson. They are the founders of the company and have each served as the CEO of Half Price Books since the organization’s inception.
Ken Gjemre and Kathy Doyle Thomas met in college and, together with Sharon Anderson, created Half Price Books in 1972. With their combined knowledge and passion for recycling books, they opened the first store in Dallas, Texas.
After their initial success they expanded to several stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Today, Half Price Books is the world’s largest family-owned chain of new and used book stores, with over 120 locations across the United States.
Who sets the book price?
In most cases, the publisher sets the price of a book. The publisher typically looks at certain factors when setting the price, including the cost of producing the book, the price of competitors’ titles within the same genre or category, and their own analysis of estimated customer demand.
In some cases, the publisher will even survey potential customers to assess the willingness to pay for a specific book before setting a price.
However, retail bookstores, independent booksellers, and other third-party sellers typically determine their own selling price for the books they stock. If a publisher’s suggested price for a title is higher than a retailer’s target selling price, the retailer may negotiate a new lower suggested price from the publisher before stocking the book.
In the digital space, the retailer takes a greater role in setting the price. The retailer typically passes back a percentage of the sale price to the publisher in exchange for the right to sell the title.
The size of the percentage returned to the publisher depends on the size of the retailer and the specific terms of their agreement.
Overall, the publisher has the greatest influence on setting the book price, but retailers and other third-party sellers can also determine the book’s sale price.
What percentage of book price goes to author?
The percentage of a book price that goes to the author is highly variable and depends on many factors. Most authors receive royalties based on the number of copies sold, rather than the book’s price, which usually falls between 8% and 25%.
These royalties are typically calculated on the retail list price, or publisher’s net, rather than the actual sale price. This makes the final percentage received by the author depend heavily on the publisher’s net and any discounts or promotions the book may be subject to.
Additionally, if the author has a literary agent, royalties need to be split between the author and the agent.
In terms of actual dollar amounts, traditionally published authors can typically expect to receive between $1 and $2 per paperback and $2. 50 to $5 per hardcover book sold. Self-published authors, on the other hand, can expect to earn around 40-60% of the book’s price, so long as they use an independent printing service to produce the book.
In conclusion, the percentage of the book’s price that goes to the author is highly variable depending on the publisher and any discounts or promotions the book has. This range can fall anywhere between 8-25% for traditionally published authors, and 40-60% for self-published authors.
How much does a first-time author make on a book deal?
The answer to this question varies drastically depending on the book deal the author manages to get. For the most part, the majority of first-time authors don’t make a significant amount of money on their deals.
According to AuthorEarnings. com, in 2017 the median pay for a first-time author’s book was $3,000-$10,000, with only one in five authors earning over $20,000. That said, there can always be outliers.
For example, if an author manages to secure a contract with a big publishing house or their book is picked up for a movie deal, then the money for their book deal could skyrocket. Additionally, it’s not typically the publisher’s advances that represents the most income for authors.
Instead, the majority of a book’s revenue comes from royalties that authors get in the form of a percentage of each sale.
How profitable is half price books?
Half Price Books is a very successful and profitable organization. It is true that the company only stocks second-hand books, but they are able to make a good amount of profit. They have a well-run business model, buying and selling used books as well as new books, earning a profit at each sale.
In 2019, they reported $362 million in net sales, which is a very good amount of money.
The company also has a very successful online presence. They have an extensive website and active social media accounts with over half a million followers. They offer their books at discounted prices on their website, making their online business very profitable.
In addition, they have numerous locations across the United States, and even some locations in Canada. They also have a thriving store membership program, where customers can receive discounts and offers throughout the year.
All in all, Half Price Books has a very profitable and well-run business. They are able to generate consistent revenue and are continuing to grow, even after more than 50 years in business. There is a lot of potential for growth for the company, and with the right strategies, they could become even more profitable in the future.
Does Barnes and Noble buy books?
Yes, Barnes and Noble does buy books from customers. They have both an online process and stores you can visit. You can get up to 70% of the listed price for your used books, with payments sent either through check or PayPal.
To get an instant quote on your books, you can use their online Textbook Trade-In tool on their website. With the online tool, you just enter the ISBN of the book and they will give you an offer to buy it.
If you have multiple books, you can add them all into the same cart and request a shipping label to send them in together. When you submit your items, they will be inspected within 7 business days and you will receive an email with the payments.
For store locations, you’ll have to call and check if they are offering a buyback service at the time.
How much does the average book deal pay?
The amount of money an author can earn from a book deal depends on many factors, such as the publishing house and the type of deal the author makes. A typical advance against royalties has the publishing house paying the author an up-front sum when the deal is signed, usually before the writing is complete, in exchange for the right to publish the author’s book.
The amount of the advance is based on several elements: the author’s platform (how many followers/readers they have), the author’s reputation and past sales, the book’s topic/genre, as well as market conditions.
On average, the size of a typical book advance for a debut author ranges from $5,000-$15,000. However, advances can be much higher for midlist and bestselling authors. For example, J. K. Rowling was given a $4 million advance for her sixth book in the Harry Potter series and James Patterson was given a $7.
14 million advance for his 11th Alex Cross novel. Advances at the upper range of the scale are not common and often reserved for established authors with backlists of titles or bestselling authors.
Royalties are typically paid out after the advance is recouped by the publishing house, meaning the author earns back their advance with their book sales, and then the author is entitled to receive a stated percentage of the book’s sales.
Those royalties are typically 15-17% of the net book price on hardcover books and 10-15% of the net book price on paperback books.
In addition to an advance and royalties, authors may also be able to negotiate other perks like film option rights, foreign distribution rights, and audio book rights. It all depends on the deal the author makes with the publishing house and the book’s subject matter.
Who makes money on book sales?
Book sales typically involve a few different entities that can make money depending on their role in the transaction. Authors are usually paid a royalty for their work when someone buys their book. This royalty is typically a percentage of the book’s sales price.
Publishers also make money by producing books, usually in the form of a publication fee or an advance on royalties given to the author. Distributors, such as bookstores or online retailers, buy books from publishers or wholesalers and then resell them to buyers.
They make money by having a margin between their cost and the sales price to customers. Finally, other intermediaries may also be involved in the publishing process, such as literary agents and third-party printing companies.
Their fees are charged in addition to the cost of producing the book.
What kind of books does Half Price Books have?
Half Price Books offers an expansive selection of books covering a wide range of topics, genres and interests. Fiction and Non-Fiction, including bestsellers, comic books, mysteries, romance, sci-fi and fantasy, biographies, history, business and self-help titles, can all be found in Half Price Books stores or online.
Other book categories include textbooks, Christian books and children’s books. They also offer a variety of magazines, records, DVDs, and video games. Half Price Books also carries gift books, including cookbooks, board games, audiobooks, calendars and journals.
In addition, they offer a selection of collectible volumes and rare manuscripts. Customers can also look for autographed editions, out-of-print titles and copies that have been used in films and television.
Half Price Books has something for everyone, and is sure to have the book that you are looking for.
What is the employee discount at Half Price Books?
Half Price Books offers an employee discount of 25% off all purchases. The discount is available at any of their store locations across the United States, or online. In order to receive the discount, you have to be an active Half Price Books employee or have a valid employee identification number.
Additionally, the discount cannot be combined with other discounts, promotions, or coupons.
What is a typical first book deal?
A typical first book deal usually involves an advance, royalties, and a work-for-hire arrangement. An advance is an up-front sum of money given to the author in exchange for their work; this money is often used to cover the authors’ initial costs and creates a sense of financial security when writing the book.
Depending on the publisher, the advance can range between a few thousand to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Once the book is published, the author typically receives royalties – an amount of money, typically a percentage of the total sales, allocated to the author for each book sold.
In some cases, the publisher may work on a work-for-hire arrangement, which means the publisher will own the copyright of the book, but the author will still receive a percentage of the money for every book sold.
The average rate differs between publishers, so it’s important to do research and negotiate terms with the publisher prior to signing a contract.
