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Message: <blockquote data-quote="BSF" data-source="post: 2801707" data-attributes="member: 13098">I worked with the largest local bookstore for 4 years.  What you are referring to was happening with non-RPG Books in the early 90's.  The stories I got to hear were pretty horrifying.  Stuff like large chains buying product on terms.  Buying in quantity so they could have publishers drop ship to stores.  Not paying to terms.  Letting the account languish long enough that the publisher would run into cash flow problems, then settling the account for pennies on the dollar.  You would think the publishers would stop selling to those folks right?  Well, if they were a small local bookstore, they would.  But when you are talking nationwide chain stores, it is harder for the publisher to cut them off.  Distribution channels have the same effect.  I never heard of Ingram Micro doing something like that, but if they did, it would have been pretty much the same as Osseum.  How would publishers find a way to bypass Osseum?  It would require a lot of business coordination and in the end it would likely mean that Osseum didn't carry those publishers.  So the publishers would have to create a different distribution channel to replace the existing channel.  Or they would have to start devoting more time to direct sales between the publisher and the store.  That equates to more staff.  Both to handle shipping as well as handling credit.  There isn't an easy solution to creating change in distribution channels.  Yes, PDF publishing may be the path of least resistance, but there is a lot of perceived value to avoiding those headaches.</blockquote>

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