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Here is my original post and the responses I received about Scholastic's =
Literacy Festival.  Thanks to all who responded.

Has anyone had this new book fair from Scholastic?  I'm considering it for
next fall but I'd like some input from others who have used it.  I'm  =
especially interested in how it compares to their regular book fair.=20

I'm having my fourth Literacy Fair in June.  I love it!  The book =
selection=20
is current and varied.  It's like having a book store right in the =
Media=20
Center. I used to dread the book fairs because of all the junk, but I =
like=20
this fair (no, I don't work for Scholastic!).  My
Scholastic reps are the best and do everything to make sure the fair is =
a=20
success.  I even go to the warehouse and select books that I want to=20
pre-read so that I am able to promote them.  I hold two fairs -- one in =
the=20
fall during parent/teacher conferences and one in June when our books =
are=20
due back and students can't check anything else out.  I offer a 25% off=20
coupon for one book to students who have returned all books by a certain=20=

date and taken care of their fines.

I just heard about it today and I am going to visit a catholic school on
Sunday morning (that's right -- Sunday morning) that is having one.  I'm =
in
a public school; apparently this catholic school in Fishers, IN (just
northeast of Indy) is a very strong school and they are having one next
week.  The reason it was recommended to me is because we have had some =
very
strong Scholastic Fairs during the past 4 years.  We have 2 per year; over
the last 2 years we have sold over $12,000 each year at both Book Fairs.
This catholic school has a smaller enrollment than we do and they have =
sold
as high as $7,000 with a regular fair.  With one of the literacy fairs
previously, their sales jumped from $7,000 to $12,000, just during one =
fair.
There is no literature on this fair and it is a lot of hard work.  My rep
also told me the profit is only 25% instead of 30%.  However, it sounds
intriguing so I am going to visit on Sunday morning.  Their hours next =
week
are 9-1 on Sunday, 8-4 on Monday and Tuesday, 8-8 on Wed. and Thurs., and =
8-12 on Friday.  I'm surprised at Sunday morning hours, but I am going to =
leave after my sunday school at my Baptist Church and head over there.  I
can let you know more next week if you are interested.

It is a wonderful fair.  There is definitely a better selection; this fair
had many more hardbacks, paperbacks, and other things.  There would be =
many good choices, so I can understand why they would sell more money.  A =
school in Noblesville is going to have this fair in April, and I would =
like to see
theirs also.  I think I could make a better comparison.  1/3 of the =
students
in my school come from a lower-income trailer park.  The neighborhood =
around this Catholic school is an upscale neighborhood.  This could be =
part of the reason they sell so much more; would we necessarily do the =
same.  My last concern is about the profit.  It's a harder book fair to =
set up because most of the books are packed in boxes.  They had 8 cases =
and 15 tables of books.
They could have used one additional table even.  Yet, their profit is only
25%.  With a regular fair, you make 30% straight cash profit.  You don't
make a lot more for the extra work.  With a Books on Tour Fair, or =
expanded
fair, a year ago last fall, they sold $7000.  That translates to $2100 @
30%.  With $12,000 in sales @ 25%, their profit is only $3000.  That's =
only an increase of $900.  I haven't decided if it is worth it or not.  =
Otherwise I liked the fair.

Be careful with scholastic! If the fair you are talking about is what my =
sales rep calls a "Lit Fest", than they may lower your profit percentage. =
It is supposedly a "better" fair but I have refused to switch from my =
"Super Books on Tour" fair to the Lit Fest because I will not allow them =
to lower my percentage from 30 % to 25% (they already lowered us from 35 =
to 30).=20
Grill your rep about money before accepting a different kind of fair.

We finished our Book Fair last week.  Never before has Scholastic sent me
so many books.  There was still a lot of the crafty, expensive stuff, but
there were a lot of books, especially hard cover.  We did have a lot of
restocking problems -- some books had only 2 copies to begin the fair and
then couldn't be restocked; we asked for many titles, but got a lot of one
and none of the other.  Profits were lower; we received $100 off the fair
and 2 $50 drawings for our two family nights.  Our fair grossed about
$20,000. =20
While our fair was going on some planners from corporate offices in =
Florida
visited.  Naturally, I put in my 2 cents.  From the beginning I didn't
think there were enough Easy Reader titles.  Plus I was dismayed that they
had put "Captain Underpants", "Ricky Robot", "Spiderman" and "Xmen" books =
into the cases where the kindergarten children would be browsing.  I was =
told the cases were K-2.  We had very few of the Henry and Mudge, Frog and =
Toad early chapter type books.  You could tell we didn't have enough =
because the cases were so light when we packed up the fair. =20
Overall, the company was more accomadating than last year.  But even =
though we are only 45 minutes from their warehouse, they couldn't deliver =
during the day.  They eventually found someone who lived closer and would =
deliver after 5pm. =20
Here in Charlotte we have a small bookstore/toy store that competes with
Scholastic.  They add or remove titles upon my request.  They sell books,
with no "junk".  Their profit includes $500 off the fair (at a certain
level, like Scholastic) and 30% over $15,000.  I think that's why
Scholastic was more accomodating this year.  I will continue to have 2 =
book
fairs each year, one with each company, because I like the variety.

We have had the lit. fest. bookfair for several years.  We were
overwhelmed the first time, we received twice as many books than
before.  Our teachers were very impressed by the quality and variety
that was offered.  We have been very successful with this type of fair.
Some years we have not had the high inventory, but we have bad timing
for our bookfairs.  Our fairs need to be held in November and May, this
we understand is a time when many others in our area hold fairs also.
We have been told that Scholastic is trying to solve that problem by
limiting restock orders and more control on the inventory, but we
haven't seen that happen yet.  Scholastic (at least in our area) does
offer great support when you move to a lit. fest. - we have a high
priority rating.





Lori Loranger, LMS
Robinson Elementary
Kirkwood, MO
lorangl@gw.kirkwood.k12.mo.us
http://www.kirkwood.k12.mo.us/parent_student/re/lorangl/Library.html

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