Glossary
Returns
Also called returnable books
In the book trade, returns let bookstores send unsold copies back to the publisher or distributor for credit, so the author, not the shop, carries the risk.
What it means
Bookstores order books knowing they can send back what does not sell. When you set up a print book with a distributor such as IngramSpark, you choose whether it is returnable. IngramSpark says the book trade runs on returns, and that bookstores are more likely to order a book that is returnable, often starting with one or two copies.
If copies come back, the distributor charges the author for them. A debut novelist who agrees to returns might see a bookstore order twenty copies for a signing, then send back twelve. A nonfiction author who says no to returns may find bookstores will not stock the book, but still sell it online. A poet selling mostly at readings may not need returns at all.
Returns in the trade are not the same as reader refunds.
Why it matters when you sell direct
When readers buy direct, there are no trade returns. Nobody orders stock they might send back: print on demand prints each copy after a reader has paid. What you do have is the odd refund, when a book arrives damaged or a reader bought the wrong format.
Answer refund requests quickly. A fast refund is cheaper than a card dispute.
How Lanternbee handles it
Lanternbee does not sell to bookstores, so there are no trade returns. Payments go through your own Stripe account, so you issue reader refunds there.