Publishing’s Dark Secret: 1 in 3 Books are Returned and Destroyed

Did you know that 30-40% of books in stores are returned, and of them, up to 95% are destroyed? That’s 1 in 3 books getting pulped, dumped, or burned simply because they don’t sell fast enough!

Publishing is one of the only industries where the wholesaler is financially responsible for the store’s ability to sell out. This is all thanks to the Great Depression, when publishers allowed stores to return unsold books for refunds to help them stay in business. The practice has stuck ever since.

Even today, bookstores can order as many copies as they like, then return unsold stock for a full refund. Big publishers are able to stomach these costs, but small presses and indie authors are taking hits they can’t afford in order to play the game.

This dated system encourages overproduction, financial losses, and environmental harm. We’re cutting down 10 million trees per year for books that aren’t even being read. You don’t have to be super environmentally friendly to see how wasteful that is.

This is why Lost Island Press no longer enables returns. As of 2024, our books are either printed on demand or in small batches. No copies ever go to waste.

If you’re a bookseller looking to stock our books, we hope you can look past our “no returns” policy and choose to work with us anyway. We would love to support your store, if you’ll have us! We can provide you with a standard 55% wholesale discount if you place the order through our special Ingram link.

For more information, contact info@lostislandpress.com.

Mel Torrefranca is a full-time author and founder of Lost Island Press. Her books feature morally gray characters, bold endings, and a pinch of awkward humor. Mel discovered her passion for writing at the age of seven and published her debut novel Leaving Wishville during high school. She also drinks way too many lattes.

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