Penguin migration

Returns are an expensive business for everyone but surely the bar has now been raised to record levels with the announcement that after 30 June all Penguin and Pearson Ed’s New Zealand returns were to be delivered to DHL in Auckland. Now that the Pearson-owned Book Distributors New Zealand has closed, presumably these returns are being airfreighted to United Book Distributors in Melbourne. Even if it’s booked on Jetstar, that’s a very expensive holiday to send a book on … especially if it was despatched from Melbourne in the first place. You can’t fault Penguin for running a first class service, but if ever there was an argument for firm sale, then surely sending an unsold book on a 5244-kilometre round trip must be it.