The above question is one we answer every day. And no matter how many times we repeat our answer (many times it’s even woven into our announcement of a new title), people still ask. So here’s the answer:
We don’t know. Our individual retailers get to decide which Lost Art Press books they carry and which they don’t.
Plus, every retailer orders books on different schedules, so we have no idea if Lee Valley or Dictum is going to carry a book until months later when they issue a purchase order.
Our recommendation: Send a note to your local retailer asking if they are going to carry the title you are interested in. Chances are if enough people ask about the book, they will carry it.
The Ordering Process
For those of you who want all the details, here is how we sell books to retailers. When a book is released, Lost Art Press is the sole source for that title for 30 days. This gives us a small headstart on selling our own title to our regular customers.
After 30 days, the book is added to our wholesale price list and sent out to our retailers. Some of them want to see the physical book before they make a decision. Others want to see a pdf of the book to make sure the content is something for their audience. Still others order it sight-unseen.
Most of our retailers place a few big orders during the year instead of ordering a big batch of a single book. This saves them on shipping charges. So they might order stock for Christmas at the end of the summer and restock in January. Other retailers order books when they are released. Still other retailers might wait a year to see if there is demand for it in their market before ordering.
After they place the order, we assemble a pallet of the things they order and we await a truck to pick them up. The truck’s schedule is usually out of our hands. Sometimes it can take weeks for a truck to show up.
After the retailer receives the new book, they usually write their own product description that suits their audience. So they have to read (or skim) the book, take photos, update their website etc.
All this takes time and – as I said – is completely out of our hands.
At least in North America, it should be a no brainer to buy the book directly from LAP.
Alas, LAP only ships within one of the twenty-three countries in North America. As my country has not yet been annexed by the good old US of A I cannot get it shipped to me.
Something I’ve seen from various retailers is an automated email so that whenever you email them, you get something that says “we got your email and we will reply soon, however, if your question is about X,Y,Z, you may find an answer in our FAQ here (provide link).” Something to consider. I doubt everyone will see this post and eventually it’ll get buried by newer posts etc. Good luck!
I tried to put some pressure on dictum for Europe, to get the book on saw sharpening, but not a success so far…
At Rubank Verktygs AB in Stockholm they do carry it, though, and seem to have have it in stock, too!
Thanks!
Set & File?
Try at rubank.se! Got my copy (late, because of the 30 days policy, but I got it at 48 €
take Care pedder
Can I de-annex and become the remotest bit of what I’m sure would become a growing archipelago flying whatever flag adorns your no doubt lovely nation?
As a nomadic woodworker, who has been forced to migrate totally from hard copy to digital media, I would like to know if LAP intends to release it in a digital format, like some of their other books.