While retail bookstore sales have a lower profit margin than most other sales channels, many authors dream of having their books available in bookstores. And even at a low profit per book you can make good money if you sell a lot of books through bookstores.
Although your local bookstore may be willing to buy directly from you, most stores prefer to buy through one of the two major book wholesalers, Ingram and Baker & Taylor. So the first step is to make sure your books are in the Ingram and/or Baker & Taylor systems on a “returnable” basis at standard discounts. See this article to learn more about working with book distributors and wholesalers, and remember that bookstores usually return books that don't sell within a certain timeframe.
In today’s guest post, award-winning children’s book author Jo Ann Kairys shares her own experience in getting her books placed in retail bookstores.
5 Ways to Get Your Book into Bookstores by Jo Ann Kairys
As a newly published independent author, I certainly had a lot to learn about marketing my book. Getting into bookstores takes time and strategy, but with a well-prepared approach, it’s certainly achievable. Here are some tips that worked for me in getting my books into bookstores:
1. Getting Your Book into Barnes & Noble
I naively assumed that once my children’s book was published, my distributor would submit it to the Barnes & Noble system. Wrong. I kept checking B&N online. Not finding it listed, I discussed the necessary steps to make it happen. Here’s an excerpt of what I learned from the small press page at the Barnes & Noble website.
Each year, the Barnes and Noble Small Press Department reviews more than 100,000 submissions from publishers of every size and background. Buyers review publishers’ catalogues, marketing materials and galleys or sample copies to help them make their decisions. Most of these books are added to our book database and a small order is placed for our warehouse. This makes a title available for sale on the B&N site and for order through stores.
If you would like your title to be considered by B&N buyers, you must submit a finished copy (no manuscripts) of the book along with marketing and promotion plans, trade reviews, and a note describing how the book meets the competition (what makes it unique).
These last points are key. A well thought out marketing plan makes a tremendous difference. Keep in mind that the buying staff/decision makers consists of fewer people now, so add any information that may help your book stand apart!
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