The HarperStudio blog has posted “The Top Three Stupid Things Publishers Do (According to an Independent Bookseller)“:

I met Praveen Madan, owner of Booksmith in San Francisco, and asked him for his “top three stupid things publishers do.” Here’s his response:

1. Publish too many bad books, get your sales reps to stuff the channel with too many bad books, and then complain that returns are too high
2. Not realize that, like other intermediaries, publishers are heading to extinction unless they learn to add value
3. Suffer from the illusion that after being in the publishing business for decades without a consumer brand, they can suddenly wake up and become meaningful brands in consumers’ minds

HarperStudio’s senior editor adds the top three stupid things that indie booksellers do, and a lot of readers have chimed in with further stupid things in the comments section.