Whatever book you are looking for, we can source.
Exclusive Books stores carry an extensive range of books – a small store showcases around 7000 unique titles on the shelves, whilst a large one, around 18 000 unique titles at any given time. With a range as wide and as deep as that, you would think it would be a sure-thing to find the book you want in a store. But according to New York public library online resource, there are 7.5 million U.S. book titles currently in circulation, as well as 12 million international titles in print. With that staggering number, there are bound to be books you want that are not on Exclusive Books’ shelves. But if you don’t find it on our shelves, just chat to the bookseller behind the counter, or order online at www.exclusivebooks.co.za. It’s as easy as that.
The special order facility has been offered at Exclusive Books for years, but with technology, it is now faster and more efficient than ever. And with an online presence in addition to our 42 bricks-and-mortar stores, we have access to 8 million titles, both locally and internationally, using our search capabilities at www.exclusivebooks.com.
Exclusive Books has been a range bookseller since its inception over 70 years ago.
A perennial bestseller is a title that sells in quantity month after month – (and by quantity we mean in the hundreds per month), adding up to tens of thousands in lifetime sales. These include books like The Alchemist, Rich Dad Poor Dad and Man’s Search for Meaning. This makes a monthly top ten or 100 a pretty repetitive picture, but also affirms the timelessness of certain titles.
Remarkably, only around 10% of the books we sell are “front list”, i.e. new releases from the top 100 list and perennial bestsellers.
The top 1000 however tells this story of the staggering variety of books we sell.
The campaign in October is designed to generate engagement from customers, and play on the gamification of retail that is so in vogue. It features fake books on the shelves all over the store, entitled “This is not the book you are looking for”. It is hoped that the title and cover will intrigue customers to pick it up and read the blurb – a reminder them that if the book on the shelf is not the one you are looking for, we can order it – via a chat with the bookseller or online.
The balance of 90% of Exclusive Books sales is made up of what we call ‘the long tail’ – backlist titles that are not new but represent the width and depth of books available. In a word – range. So range is something we have been doing for the longest time.
Online makes access to an even wider range of books possible. It is here that books enjoy their retirement, being steadily bought in lower quantities for years after their publication dates. There’s Madame Bovary sitting next to Charles Bukowski and Kerouac and Long Walk to Freedom.
This, in addition to obscure titles like Modern Chess Openings or Scatalog: Quick ID Guide to Southern African Animal Droppings, make the online sales report an interesting cross-section of what people are reading.
The campaign in October is designed to generate engagement from customers, and play on the gamification of retail that is so in vogue. It features fake books on the shelves all over the store, entitled “This is not the book you are looking for”. It is hoped that the title and cover will intrigue customers to pick it up and read the blurb – a reminder that if the book on the shelf is not the one you are looking for, we can order it – via a chat with the bookseller or online.
Jan's Book Buzz 
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