Chax Press was founded in 1984 in Tuscon, Arizona, by Charles Alexander, and Bookmobile is happy to have been working with them since 1999. Chax Press titles “celebrate the changing shape of American poetry by presenting experimental works with humanist commitment.”
Last year, Chax approached us about our Automatic Replenishment Program (ARP). Chax was selling books Direct-to-Consumer from their website, but managing the order fulfillment and using PayPal was becoming a hassle. Chax did not have the funding to create a new shopping cart on their website that would make processing sales smoother.
The solution Bookmobile crafted for Chax was for them to sell books through our Itasca Books website, which has a PCI compliant shopping cart, by linking each Chax title to its own page on the Itasca website. Bookmobile also manages the inventory and printing.
Chax sent us metadata for 83 titles, and we got to work! For some titles we printed inventory, and for others, Chax sent us the remainder of the inventory they had on hand. As the existing stock diminishes, we print more books as needed. Chax can also place bulk orders as required for events, authors, and Small Press Distribution.
In turn, we send Chax a monthly statement that details out prep costs for new titles (or corrections to reprints), printing, fulfillment, shipping, and website sales transactions.
And now without the hassle of fulfilling orders and managing inventory, Chax can spend more of its valuable time and limited resources on producing beautiful books and driving sales.
Bookmobile feels less like a provider to us at Chax Press, and more like a partner. Their innovative approach to solving our problem has given us flexibility, led to the production of more books than ever in the past six months, and simply makes us more comfortable and confident as we move ahead with our programs and the articulation of our vision of contemporary literature. Between Bookmobile and Small Press Distribution, we have a terrific set of friends who help us in our work. Nicole Baxter, at Bookmobile, has been a continuous pleasure with whom to work.
—Charles Alexander, Chax Press Executive Designer
Is creating a PCI compliant shopping cart an issue for your website? Is fulfilling orders and managing inventory becoming a hassle? Contact me to learn more about ARP and its benefits, so you can concentrate on driving sales and producing great books! We’ll create a custom solution that fits your press’s needs.