Spring Book Show founder discusses remainder book market

Larry May, founder of Atlanta’s Spring Book Show, the largest bargain book show in the South, discussed the state of the bargain book business in recent interviews in the Southern Review of Books and the Associated Book Exchange (AbeBooks) newsletter.

ATLANTA, Ga. - Feb. 27, 2007 – Far more books are sold at a discount from retail than are sold at the suggested cover price – and a large percentage of the discounted books end up in the remainder market.

Knoxville’s Larry May, founder of the Spring Book Show, scheduled for Atlanta’s World Congress Center on

March 23-25, knows the remainder business. Formerly an executive with the 100-store Book Warehouse chain that specialized in remainders, he founded Atlanta’s Spring Book Show eight years ago. Following is what he told the Southern Review and AbeBooks.

Q. What kind of booksellers and books are found at the Spring Book Show?
A. (Larry May) We specialize in remainders, hurts, returns, promotional and white sales. We also have sidelines - calendars, reading glasses, music (CDs), cards, stationery, pens and other writing instruments. There are a couple of close-out companies that will sell anything that they think someone will buy at a discount. Beanie babies, scooters, package deals, videos - you name it.

Q. How many book buyers will be at the show this year?
A. Approximately 700.

Q. How far do your book buyers come?
A. We have buyers coming from Nigeria, Indonesia, Canada, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Virgin Islands, South Korea and The Bahamas

Q. Can you name a few of the sellers who we can expect to see there?
A. The largest would be American Book Company, Book Depot, Strictly by the Book, Fairmount, Daedalus, Book Country, S & L Sales, World Publications, Book Smart and Kudzu -- to mention a few.

Q. Do particular genres do better than others once they become remainders?
A. I would say that it exactly mirrors the general trade book industry. What sells well in the general trade industry sells well at our show. Of course, the reason we have a show is because the publisher didn't sell enough of something, overprinted, allowed returns or they need to turn books into cash. I must say this about the book industry, I don't care how good an author is - their books will end up being handled somewhere along the line by one of our vendors. It is inevitable. We feel that our vendors, our show, our industry gives the book additional “lives.” In other words, if it didn't sell in a specific setting, it very well may sell in another setting. We give the publisher a variety of “settings” in which they can recoup their money.