Tuesday, June 9, 2009

The 1,000 Copy Club


Our computer system (IBID) is pretty podunk. Each terminal is a "dummy;" i.e. it can't run any other program. So if we want to do a Google search to find that book you heard on NPR last week, we have to switch computers. The terminals are connected to the main computer by flimsy 6-pin wires. Next time you're in, take a gander at the wires running across our storefronts for a look at the IT infrastructure that cements our place in the cutting-edge world of bookselling.

But IBID does keep track of our new books pretty well. It tells us how many copies we have sold of each title in the last week, month, or year. And starting with an "upgrade" in 1999, it began to keep track of perpetual sales. Since that "upgrade," which I believe is still the most recent one, five books have sold over 1,000 copies at Green Apple (not including used books or titles where the hardcover and paperback combine for 1,000).

Here's #1, with 2,362 sold since 1999.

You Can't Win by (not that) Jack Black has been on our staff favorites as long as I've worked here, I think (16 years). We try not to let books linger there too long so the selection will always be fresh. But when we sell 15-20 copies a month of a book no one has ever heard of, we can't pull it. Here's Kevin H.'s blurb and the reason we've sold 2,362 copies.
Who will be #2,363?

2 comments:

Magers and Quinn Booksellers said...

We're wrestling with an upgrade to our inventory/POS system, but seeing your computers makes me feel better. At least we can run it on our regular computers.

Anonymous said...

Are you going to post others on the blog?