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Book wholesaler Bertrams is moving into publishing with the launch of a range of budget classic titles available to independent booksellers for just £1.
Kicking off with 12 titles, including Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, Dracula and Wuthering Heights, The Samphire Press officially goes live on 21st January. Although the books have a recommended retail price of £4, they will not carry the pricing on the back of the copy. All titles will be sold to retailers at 75% off, and Bertrams will supply "a pack of price stickers at £2, £3 and £4".
In a letter to booksellers, managing director Michael Neil explained this meant retailers could "use the discount however you choose best for your business".
In the letter, Neil acknowledged he was entering "a crowded market place", saying the in-house team had "worked hard on paper quality, legibility and design values". He added: "[T]he key point of difference with other editions is the pricing policy".
He told The Bookseller: "We are doing it because the heart of Bertrams' business is independents, and we try to do any thing we can to help them. That includes giving them things that will stand out against their competitors, such as having stuff exclusively, as with this."
Neil added: "We are not trying to establish a huge classics list - but we often try out different things at different times, and this is just one of them."
To support the launch, Bertrams is giving out dump-bins, posters and organising "a national PR campaign". Neil said Bertrams would consider launching further titles if the original 12 were a success.
So far, the press has had "a hugely supportive response" from booksellers, he said, adding that it would have "no negative impact at all" on Bertrams' working relationship with classics publishers.