Done to Death

Yeah, I know, but in case anyone wants to read for themselves, here's a link to a story of the new HarperCollins imprint: story. They discuss the problem of high returns from booksellers, saying that it's around 40%. One of the prinicipals says that anyone not thinking like they are will go out of business. I'm wondering if anyone thinking like they are will go out of business.

It would seem logical that if booksellers are returning 40% of the books they order that they are ordering too many. I'd want to know why: are they concerned with aesthetic appeal and filling their shelves because they know they can easily return the books? Are they that bad at projecting the demand for a particular book? And if the shops are returning four out of ten books, why are the publishers printing so many at a time? Would restricting the supply, or even rationing them out, force booksellers to estimate better?

I'm neither publisher nor bookseller so it beats the heck out of me. Any way I slice it in my own little mind, the logic seems off. It's not easy being the Smartest Man in the World. Just keep in mind 'World' can be a loosely defined word.