[AISLE-Share] Book Fairs

Thu Nov 15 08:35:57 CST 2018

I am new to my school, and the Follett Book Fair contract was signed last
year by the previous librarian.  So this is first experience with Follett
Book Fairs.  My fair is December 10-14.  I agree with everything that was
said here in regard to too many reps.

Right from the start I was frustrated because I contacted them in October
and requested they add my Battle of the Books titles to our book
inventory.  They flatly refused-- wouldn't even TRY -- because I didn't
give them 12 weeks notice.  Twelve weeks!  In addition, they don't supply
high school books.  I'm a PreK-12 grade school.  This is a big hole in the
fair for me.

In the past I have always worked with *Anderson's Book Fairs*, and LOVE
them!  They accommodated all our requests the best they could.  Sometimes
they couldn't get a title, but they tried.  Follett just said no.  They
were professional and I worked with only one person, Laura Evans.  Their
books are amazing and they have a huge selection, including YA/high school
titles.

Follett will not tell me when the books will arrive!  They maintain it's
too close to tell me, despite my fair beginning on December 10.  They
obviously don't understand that I need to organize volunteers well in
advance of set-up.  Now that I've read this last email about the books
arriving a day late, I'm worried!

I just received the Follett Book Fair promotion box which has some nice
posters, classroom wish lists, teacher wish lists, flyers, etc.  That's
helpful.

Until I see the inventory, I'm feeling unimpressed and will most likely
contract with Anderson's next year.  Perhaps the selection of books will
knock my socks off and I'll feel differently.  But the refusal to even try
and get my Battle of the Books books really cranked me.

Last thing -- I believe that the profits from the Follett Book Fair are
generous -- 50% off books and you can take them right off the shelves
before you return the books, I think.   I was able to spend remaining money
from last year's fair at the beginning of this school year.  I logged onto
Follett Titlewave and simply ordered the books I wanted and used a code
that charged those books back to the book fair.  Easy peasy.  With
Anderson's, I would go out to the warehouse and shop till I dropped.  It
literally was one of the best days of the year for me!  I would often have
$6,500 in profits to spend and would spend about $4,000 at the warehouse.
If memory serves me I was charged full price for the books.  The remaining
money came to me in cash but at a lower percentage.  I can't remember what
the percentage equals.

That's all I have!

Happily Ever After,

Karrie Fisher
Media Center Specialist

*Connect to the Roycemore Library Card Catalog: *
*roycemorelibrary.follettdestiny.com
<http://roycemorelibrary.follettdestiny.com>*

On Wed, Nov 14, 2018 at 8:53 PM Email list for the Association of Illinois
School Library Educators <aisle at list.railslibraries.info> wrote:

> We are in the process of having our first Follett fair now, and we have
> always used Scholastic in the past.
> We got off to a bad start with Follett.  All three schools did not get
> their order delivered until Thursday around1:30.  We were supposed to get
> it Wednesday since conferences were Thursday.  Luckily the set up was super
> easy unlike Scholastic which seems to take forever.  Follett had 4 cases
> which are super nice looking, and the table displays come in wire racks
> already set up and you just plunk them on the table.  The cash register is
> super easy too.  I like the clean looking set up and the only "junk" they
> have is pens and erasers which went super quick but they don't replenish.
> I don't like the fact that the books are mostly hardcover and definitely
> more expensive as a whole than Scholastic. But they are nice looking and
> not bent or open or ratty looking like some of Scholastics are.  The
> overall appearance of the fair is nicer and everyone has commented on that
> - kids, teachers and parents.
> Something that worries me is that I have a day and a half left of the fair
> and I am barely half of what I made last year with Scholastic.  So I am
> still a bit mixed - Scholastic reps seem better - more personal contact as
> opposed to email. Also, I feel like there are 3 or 4 different people
> emailing me from Follett, so I am not 100% sure who to contact with an
> issue.
>  I felt like I could get what I wanted with Scholastic, Follett limits
> your choices (they pick the # of cases based on your past sales, you can
> only pick a certain amount of categories like State award winners, bargain
> books, etc.)  I do like that Follett automatically sends you stuff based on
> your sales, so you don't have to think what you think will go fast and
> things can be drop shipped.
> I am having a Scholastic Buy One Get One in the spring because Follett
> doesn't offer one and I like to do that so the kids have books for the
> summer.
>   I haven't decided what to do next fall yet.
> Hope that helps.
>
> On Wed, Nov 14, 2018 at 8:36 PM Email list for the Association of Illinois
> School Library Educators <aisle at list.railslibraries.info> wrote:
>
>> This may already have been discussed in the past, but has anyone had a
>> Follett Book Fair this year? If you have always used Scholastic and then
>> made the switch to Follett, what are the pros and cons?
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
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>
>
> --
> Betsy Yager
> Library Media Specialist
> Anne Sullivan School
> Prospect Heights Dist. 23
> (847) 870-5591
>
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