Reverse is a process within the publishing industry whereby printed books that have yet to be sold are returned to their printer or publisher instead of being sent out into circulation, typically when sales have become slow or nonexistent. Once returned to them, they are pulped – meaning shredded up and recycled as waste material.
There can be various reasons why a book might be returned to its publisher, with one of the main factors being it was not selling well and, therefore, was no longer worth printing; publishers will usually stop making this book and instead focus on selling other titles that are doing better; sometimes damaged books may also be returned and, should this occur, often offer discounts off future printings of that book.
Reverse bookselling refers to returning purchased books to their publisher instead of bookstores, typically when no longer needed or desired by the original buyer. This may occur for various reasons, including when no longer needed/wanted books are returned by previous purchasers, no longer required, or no longer desired by the original buyer(s).
Reversal refers to canceling an order for a book that has yet to be printed, such as when its publisher decides that it won’t sell well and informs their printer to stop production while also returning any payments already made to it by customers.
Reversing text is vital in publishing because it helps readers better understand it. Reversing allows readers to see how an author has constructed their arguments and how the book fits together while at the same time helping identify errors and correct them – an essential process to ensure accuracy and quality in any published work.