How to Sell Books Beyond the Bookstore Market

Retail bookstores are notorious for buying books and then returning unsold copies, and it can be difficult for self-published authors to get into bookstores at all. Online bookstores are easier to work with, but there are dozens of other places to sell books, including:

• corporations, associations, and nonprofits
• gift shops, airport shops and specialty retailers
• schools and libraries
• book clubs and catalogs
• government agencies and the military
• museums, zoos and parks
• discount stores and warehouse clubs
• cable television shopping networks
• supermarkets and drug stores

These "special markets" for books can especially lucrative because sales are sometimes made in large quantities and are usually on a non-returnable basis.

Resources for Special Sales

The most comprehensive resource for selling to nonbookstore markets is How To Make Real Money Selling Books (Without Worrying About Returns): A Complete Guide to the Book Publishers' World of Special Sales by Brian Jud.

This 376-page book is absolutely packed with sales strategies, resources, insider tips, contact information, case studies, and information about working with distribution partners. Click on the Look Inside button on the book page above and take a look at the book's Table of Contents to get an idea of what you'll find in this comprehensive reference.

I recently attended a webinar where Brian Jud and his associate, Guy Achtzehn, shared their expertise in selling to U.S. military market, and I was stuck by the sheer size and complexity of this market. How To Make Real Money Selling Books contains a detailed chapter on selling to the U.S. military, explaining strategies for selling to domestic military bases and posts; overseas U.S. military installations and ships; military libraries; military exchange services (retail stores); military associations and more. This chapter contains literally dozens of links to websites where you can find specific selling details and contact information, and even has information on promoting to the military media.

For a taste of what you'll find in the corporate sales section of How To Make Real Money Selling Books, read Brian Jud's article about selling books to corporations.

Here are some other resources for selling books beyond traditional retail bookstores:

For detailed information on selling to the library market, read The Savvy Book Marketer's Guide to Selling Your Book to Libraries. The book includes contact information for the top 100 public and top 100 academic libraries in the United States. The Texas Book Marketing Handbook has lists of the top 100 public and top 100 academic libraries in Texas.

See this article for tips on how to sell books to gift shops and specialty retailers.

To learn how to maximize your sales and profits through online bookstores, read Aiming at Amazon and POD for Profit, both by Aaron Shepard.

When you create your book marketing plan, be sure to think outside the box and explore ways to sell your book beyond the traditional bookstore market.

Comments

[Ruth Martin, U Write Santa]

What an awesome list of places to sell a self published book. Thanks for sharing. Places like the zoo, museums, and parks would never have been on our idea list. Love it! I've signed up for your newsletter and look forward to reading more.

[Dana Lynn Smith]

Thanks so much Ruth!

[Ms.India.M]

Thank you for sharing this information, have a beautiful day!

[George Kittredge]

Dana,
I've linked your post to a post I am publishing today. Great article that all aspiring self-publishing authors should read.
George
Book1Blog.com