As I am getting closer to having been with Itasca for a year now the pace of things is beginning to make more sense. Different days and times of the month, or year, have their own ordering patterns and schedules. I no longer feel like most of this is new. It was always a little like watching a movie I’d seen before but backwards or out of order. Having worked in bookstores for most of my adult life I was always aware of distribution and fulfillment and the very many oddities and frustrations with shipping. The simple facts are these—it might only take one or two people to write a book but it takes very many to get it out into the world.
Why Order Direct from Itasca Books
So I’d like to talk a little bit about ordering directly from us. I understand the reasons for relying on Ingram for special orders and restocking titles. Streamlining accounts/bookkeeping is both a matter of being practical and easing overall workload. Whether it’s for event orders, filling in a particular section or starting a new display—ordering direct from publishers and, in our instance distributors, can get you a couple extra percentage points in discount. As costs around us continue to rise finding these small ways to save are meaningful.
Most often we ship orders the day they are received and, if not, always the following day. While we can’t control what happens with UPS, FedEx, or the United States Postal Service, our team in the warehouse takes great care to pack all shipments carefully and get orders out quickly.
Creating an Account with Itasca Books
If you don’t already have an account with us it is very simple and fast to create one. What we need is a copy of your state’s tax ID exemption, your store name, and complete mailing address. That’s it. The terms are also simple. For 5+ total copies of any books you can choose between 40% returnable or 50% non-returnable. Under 5 copies is 20%. We are seeing an uptick both in stores ordering directly from us and those choosing to order non-returnable. You do not need to pre-pay for your first order. I’d like to think we are making the process as simple as possible—there aren’t a bunch of hoops to jump through or slow down the process of us getting the books into your store.
Get in Touch
I am always interested in talking to booksellers, buyers, managers or owners about what they want to see in their stores and how they hope to represent themselves in what each store stocks, displays, and uses for book and/or subscription clubs. All stores are constantly changing and shape-shifting. So are we. I am happy to talk to any store of any size about what we might have that could fit into and complement the living things that all you spend so much time in.
If you have questions or to place orders you can always email me at hweyandt@itascabooks.com or call me directly at 952-223-8373.