Why Collecting a Preorder Should Not Increase Walk-Up Stock

Preorder collection consumes a physical copy that was already reserved. It should not create another copy to sell.

Use three columns

Suppose you have ten physical copies, seven reserved copies and three walk-up copies. A reader collects one reserved book. Physical stock becomes nine and reserved stock becomes six. Walk-up availability remains three: nine minus six.

If you decrease only the reservation, the worksheet incorrectly shows four walk-up copies. If you decrease only physical stock, it incorrectly shows two. Keep the pickup linked to the reservation and apply both changes together.

Handle exceptions explicitly

A cancellation before pickup can release a reservation without reducing physical stock. A damaged book reduces usable physical stock without fulfilling a reservation. A substitution needs an agreed edition change before moving the reservation. Keep these as distinct actions with order IDs, rather than typing over the final available number.

For an event using several sources, identify orders by source plus order ID. Equal names or equal quantities are not proof that two orders are duplicates. Review suspected duplicates and unknown edition names before you reserve their components.

Finish with a physical count

At the end of the event, compare counted stock with the opening count, recorded sales, pickups and damage. Investigate differences before carrying the balance to the next signing.

Beventi's author workflow already covers event preorders and payments. The planned TableReserve is a proposed $19-per-event worksheet for authors whose separate order sources leave an extra reconciliation step. This interest page has no working stock system and does not take preorder data.