As a result, past misjudgments as manifested in excessive shipping, handling,and inventory write-offs are corrected slowly and at substantial cost. Maps of market potential can be drawn for any level of geography. Summaries for the entire U.S. are useful for strategic and investment decisions. More detailed maps, such as the one shown on the following page for Philadelphia, are useful for determining where and how products should be distributed. Publishers decide where and how to promote a particular book by evaluating past shipments, by seeking a regional balance, and as a result of negotiations with chains and local retailers.
Mapping adds the prospect of focusing advertising on local market potential.
These are supported by spot television, radio, and newspaper advertising. Mapping makes these decisions more cost-effective. The cost of keeping sales representatives in the field continues to grow. This, combined with the difficulty of measuring success, has made the process of setting sales and mix quotas more important. Mapping can be used to aggregate the potential for a particular portfolio of books, for an imprint, or for a publisher's entire library.