DVD Sales - What You Can & Should Do! by slgn

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

DVD Sales - What You Can & Should Do!

POSTED BY: SLGN
UPDATED: Tuesday, February 28, 2006 12:13
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Monday, January 23, 2006 2:01 PM

I and many a Browncoat have mentioned this elsewhere and I have seen this in related threads here - but never a dedicated thread about DVDs in Libraries.

The No. 1 thing you can do to help Serenity DVD sales is - well, to buy copies for yourself, your friends and your family. BUT let'a assume you've got that covered.

Therefore The No. 1 Thing You Can Do to Help DVD Sales? Get Serenity into your public library.

Why?
> They purchase copies for their collection.
> People are more likely to try something new when its free.
> It's another way to convert the masses.

How?
1) Find your local public library. See if they have an online catalog and check if they have Serenity yet. You can also call or go in and ask the library staff.

2) If they don't have Serenity, make a Purchase Request!

What's that?
A Purchase Request or Purchase Suggestion is where you submit a title and ask the Library to add it to their collection. Many libraries have this function online now. It's simple and it is FREE.

Did you see that free part? That's why everyone should try this out. Seriously.

What if they won't or can't afford to buy it?
Then ask them about making DVD donations. BUT PLEASE, PLEASE ASK before making donations.

This is very important. Not all libraries add donations to their collections. Some give all donations to their Friends of the Library [type] group who then sells items for library funding.

Nothing is sader than buying dvds for a library and finding out they sold them to someone for 10% of the original cost and it didn't go into the collection afterall.

And while you are at it: see if they have the Firefly DVDS. And/Or the Visual Companion (book) or soundtrack cds, etc. Whatever shiny browncoat goodness you think they are lacking.

You can also make up bookmarks (11th Hour's stuff is great for this) advertising FF/S and ask the Circulation staff if you can leave them where folks checkout books. Or you can be more stealth and leave them in items you return or in books when you are perusing the shelves.

A great and worthy cause previously posted here is Whedonverse Multimedia Project http://www.whedonverse.org/project.htm
They donate Buffy/Angel/FF/Serenity to libraries that request donations. Check them out too.

EXAMPLE: Because people requested it, one of my local library systems had 15 copies of Serenity. Because there are now 421 holds for it, they are ordering more dvds for a total of 69 copies. I dunno about you, but that is way more than the number of copies I can buy for myself and friends.

You've got your orders Browncoat. Now move out!

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Monday, January 23, 2006 2:03 PM

SLGN

Here's the basic facts for Serenity when making a purchase request:

Serenity [widescreen edition]
Director: Joss Whedon
Publisher/Distributor: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Rating: PG-13
Released: Dec. 20, 2005
ASIN: B000BW7QWW

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Monday, January 23, 2006 2:43 PM

SERENITYFOREVER

Quote:
Originally posted by slgn:
EXAMPLE: Because people requested it, one of my local library systems had 15 copies of Serenity. Because there are now 421 holds for it, they are ordering more dvds for a total of 69 copies. I dunno about you, but that is way more than the number of copies I can buy for myself and friends.

Holy crap! 69 copies! That's unreal. Frickin' Blockbuster doesn't have that many copies.

I'll have to check into it. Thanks for the tip!

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Monday, January 23, 2006 6:29 PM

ANONYMOUS1

Quote:
Originally posted by slgn:
And while you are at it: see if they have the Firefly DVDS. And/Or the Visual Companion (book) or soundtrack cds, etc. Whatever shiny browncoat goodness you think they are lacking.
...
EXAMPLE: Because people requested it, one of my local library systems had 15 copies of Serenity. Because there are now 421 holds for it, they are ordering more dvds for a total of 69 copies. I dunno about you, but that is way more than the number of copies I can buy for myself and friends.

You've got your orders Browncoat. Now move out!

Libraries want cd music. Whoo-hoo!

How about Serenity UMDs? Seems the little things would tend to disappear if they were not kept behind the counter.

Whoo-hoo 69 copies! How many libraries do you have in your system. Is that like 1 per library. Or like # per library?

I haven't been able to mail any DVDs to the Twelve Libraries of Christmas... Relatives over and they will not leave...and I've been holding off giving any Serenity to my local libraries because 1. They might buy some themselves. 2. I did not want to discourage renters at Blockbuster.

I had not thought if they had interest, they might buy some more.

Now I'll be dropping a Serenity Full Screen off tomorrow. If people want to see the wide-screen version...they will have to go to Blockbuster for now.

Already gave the library Firefly and Serenity the Official Visual Companion. Already seen the book on the shelf. I moved it to the endcap of that bookcase. Heh.

Thank you.

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Tuesday, January 24, 2006 6:25 AM

FOLLOWMAL

Bump.

Everyone should see this I think.
I'm sure gonna donate or request or whatever at my local libraries. ( Plural)
I live in a rural place and there are several small town's libraries around me and I'll be talking to them.
Also, what about college libraries? I wonder if the policy is the same for them? I still have a membership at my local jr. college library and also the bigger university library in Joplin.... I'll do some checking.

"Yup... that went well..." Mal

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Tuesday, January 24, 2006 6:55 AM

SLGN

Quote:
Originally posted by SERENITYFOREVER: Frickin' Blockbuster doesn't have that many copies.

Exactly.

Quote:
Originally posted by Anonymous1:
How about Serenity UMDs? Seems the little things would tend to disappear if they were not kept behind the counter.

Do you mean PSP-type format? (I'm a total backbirth with some subjects). Answer to that is, I dunno. I don't know how many libraries are into that format - BUT it NEVER hurts to ask! Some libraries keep their CDs and DVDs behind the circulation counter and you get them when you bring the case up. So UMDs might not be that different.

Quote:
Originally posted by Anonymous1: Whoo-hoo 69 copies! How many libraries do you have in your system.

Well, that's Seattle Public Library, 69 copies of Serenity for 30 branches (well, 25 right now due to construction). So that's about 2:1 but I don't think they're distributed that way. Interesting note: SPL isn't even the local library with the heaviest use...

Quote:
Originally posted by Anonymous1: I haven't been able to mail any DVDs to the Twelve Libraries of Christmas

For those wondering, here is the Whedonverse Multimedia Project "Serenity and the 12 Libraries of Christmas" http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=15460

Quote:
Originally posted by FOLLOWMAL: I live in a rural place and there are several small town's libraries around me and I'll be talking to them. Also, what about college libraries? I wonder if the policy is the same for them?

Excellent! Dunno if college libraries are interested in fiction/popular dvds but it NEVER hurts to ask! I know some northern CA. universities that have benefited from Scaper donations (Farscape). So it could happen.

The more copies in libraries means more copies sold > more browncoats > FF/S's greater success!

Good job guys. Go get 'em!
______________________________________
Got Scape? Farscape now in syndication. http://www.farwhat.com/

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Tuesday, January 24, 2006 7:51 AM

MYCROFTXXX

GREAT IDEA! Just checked my local library and they have six copies of Serenity (two widescreen editions just released) and ALL of them are checked out with backlogs.

They also have four copies of Firefly:the series. All but one is out and at least one backlog (different branch). I just let someone here at work know it is available so that one'll go quickly I suspect.

They don't have the Companion book so I may have to do something about that... Oh, and the two audio soundtracks.

Apparently, there's a Browncoat at the Chester County Library!

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Tuesday, January 24, 2006 7:53 AM

MALFORPRESIDENT

Okay, so...just a thought. What if we were to set up a organized fund to buy Serenity for orphaned teenagers or something. You know... we could slap some kind of charity name on the DVD like "A family on board" or something like that. It would raise awareness as well as applying DVD sales to our total. Maybe we could even get stars of the show to come out... Tell me what you guys think.

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Tuesday, January 24, 2006 7:53 AM

MEIMEIMEG

*bump*

This is a great idea. Also, another idea that has been mentioned before is sending any extra copies of the BDM you may have bought (or will buy...) to any soldiers serving in Iraq or Afghanistan that you know. Especially if you live around a base, you can find someone who knows someone over there. My husband is in the air force, and we are sending a box to his friends in Iraq with several copies of Serenity. These guys (and gals) have a lot of down time, and most of them have personal DVD players. A few copies of Serenity will get passed around to everyone, and we'll have a whole new group of converts that will be buying their own copies when they get back.

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Wednesday, January 25, 2006 9:07 AM

SLGN

True. There are many other good ways to convert the masses. Donations to charities (even dvds to Ronald McDonald houses), or sending to soliders - I know personally this has converted folks well - or giving to your local firehouse... these are all great things. Y'all should follow those up.

It is important for me to push the library idea for three reasons:
1) you can never underdestimate the number of people reached through public libraries,
2) libraries can purchase many more dvds than your average rental store or single browncoat,
3) making a purchase reqeust is FREE. Often times people tell me they can't donate money or a purchased dvd to something due to their financial situation. All this plan takes is an email or short chat or quick web form.

Easy. Free. (um, sorta like me??? nevermind)

Got Scape? Farscape now in syndication http://www.farwhat.com/

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Wednesday, January 25, 2006 10:12 AM

SLGN

Quote:
Originally posted by mycroftxxx:
They don't have the Companion book so I may have to do something about that... Oh, and the two audio soundtracks.

I forgot to mention in my last reply...

Don't forget, there's plenty of stuff in the 'verse that you can ask for! Not all libraries will purchase all things requested but again, my library mantra: it never hurts to ask.

There's (in no particualr order):
> Firefly: the Complete Series. 20th Century Fox, December 9, 2003. [AISN: B0000AQS0F]
> Yeffeth, Glenn & Espenson, Jane (Eds.). Finding Serenity: Anti-Heroes, Lost Shepherds and Space Hookers in Joss Whedon's Firefly. Dallas, TX: Benbella Books, 2005. [ISBN 1932100431]
> Whedon, Joss. Serenity: the Official Visual Companion. London: Titan Books, 2005. [ISBN 1845760824]
> DeCandido, Keith RA. Serenity: a novel. New York, NY: Pocket Star Books, 2005. [ISBN 1416507558]
> Newman, David (Composer). Serenity: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. Varese Records, 2005. [ASIN B000AYYUGQ]
> Edmonson, Greg (Composer). Firefly: Original Television Soundtrack. Varese Records, 2005. [AISN B000BLI4PQ]
> Chambers, Jamie & Weis, Margaret. Serenity Role Playing Game. Margaret Weis Productions, 2005. [ISBN 1931567506]
> Whedon, Joss & Mathews, Brett. Serenity. Dark Horse, January 25, 2006. [ISBN 1593074492] (This is the bound edition of the comics & is a much more Library friendly format)

AND A WORD OF ADVICE... it's okay to ask for all of these things, but I wouldn't ask for them ALL at once. It might be percieved like spamming and ignored alltogether.

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Friday, January 27, 2006 10:17 AM

SLGN

Make Saturday Serenity DVD day and check your local library!

Anyone else do this yet or have success stories to tell?

Xie xie.

______________________________________
Got Scape? Farscape now in syndication http://www.farwhat.com/

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Friday, January 27, 2006 10:45 AM

SAMEERTIA

Another excellent option is to donate dvds to the AV rooms of hospitals and care facilities.

Patients will watch something just because they are bored, and then enjoy it enough to buy it for themselves when they're well and home again.

Plus, in the US it qualifies as a charity donation for tax purposes.

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Friday, January 27, 2006 5:20 PM

UNSARDONIC

Oh My (Freakin' ) GRID!! ...my GRAINE!! ...my...my GOD-GOLLY-MISS-MOLLY!!!! What an amazing thread

...I can't get over it: 69 copies with 400-some holds??? There's... ummm.... ROCKet fuel in the ol' firefly yet, methinks.

Get me my next freakin' sequel or... or... or, dammit, "your friends will think you're a stupid, inbred stack of meat."

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Tuesday, February 7, 2006 7:06 AM

SLGN

The 2005 HAPLR ratings have been published. They are rankings based on statistics from the Federal-State Cooperative System for public library data (FSCS), from about 9,000 public libraries. 40% of a library's ranking is based on circulation stats (number of items checked out, or how much they are used by the population).

Top 10 Public Lirary Systems in the Population Category (service community) of 500,000 are:

COLUMBUS METROPOLITAN LIBRARY (OH)
MULTNOMAH COUNTY LIBRARY (OR)
DENVER PUBLIC LIBRARY (CO)
CUYAHOGA COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY (OH)
BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY (MD)
INDIANAPOLIS-MARION COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY (IN)
SALT LAKE COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM (UT)
HENNEPIN COUNTY LIBRARY (MN)
MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES (MD)
CINCINNATI AND HAMILTON COUNTY, PL OF (OH)

If you are a browncoat in one of these districts - do us a favor and check into your local public library! See if they have Serenity on dvd and if not, make a purchase request.

If they have Serenity, then search the catalog to see what they don't have that you think potential browncoats need access to - even if that's just donated FF bookmarks or a Shindig invite on a community event board.

Just from a quick search, I can tell you that Columbus Metrolitan Library has 59 copies of Serenity on dvd but they don't have the Visual Companion or the BDM soundtrack.

THE IMPORTANT THING IS to get more Serenity dvds sold. However, if your library is already onboard, then expand their 'verse.

______________________________________
Got Scape? Farscape now in syndication http://www.farwhat.com/

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Tuesday, February 28, 2006 12:13 PM

SLGN

You don't have to take my word (or incessant posting) about it... listen to the folks from The Signal.

Signal: S2Ep2, February 15th
Operation Sequel (the guerilla marketing section): Request Serenity from your public library

If you haven't checked out the Signal podcast yet, it's well worth a listen: http://signal.serenityfirefly.com/

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