…I found she was reluctant, and I was lucky that she said yes, because when I had a chance to chat with her I found out the last author she let in the door had been a shark. He stood at the door, and handed his book to every person who walked in And tried to force them to buy his book.
Now if you love walking into bookstores, you probably know that is the last thing you would ever want anyone to do to you. So I’m sure you know that she got a lot of complaints about this author.
Besides not being a jerk, there are a few other things you should make sure to do whether you’re aiming for an event or just getting your book in the store.
- Put your paperback in IngramSpark.
- Make sure your book is returnable
- Be ready with your numbers – what discount are you giving the store and what is the list price
Let’s look at the numbers
$15.00 list price
-$6.00 wholesale discount (40% of $15)
-$5.35 printing cost
=$3.65 profit made per book sale
That’s not a whole lot of money, but if you want to see your book in a bookstore, want to have an event and meet new readers, then it still can be a fun and rewarding project.
I also want to mention that I had an author event at a book store that doesn’t normally take indie books, but I did that by combining the event with other Indie authors, so the bookstore was willing to do it because we did bring in a wider audience. But they also only kept our books on the shelf for a short time.
And here are some very important tips from Amy at Amy’s bookcase in Farmington, New Mexico.
“Many new authors think that when their book is sent off to the publishers for printing that their work is done. Honestly, it really is just beginning, because now they have to sell their book to the bookstores. Indie bookstores hate to hear the word Amazon, because that’s our biggest competitor and thorn in our side, so if you want a bookstore to carry your book, that’s the first thing you don’t mention. We have a lot of requests to carry books and to do signings, and we cannot possibly carry every book we are asked to, so please be understanding if a bookseller says it doesn’t fit our store. Some authors think that becoming aggressive is the way to win our hearts and a place on our shelves, but really, that is a terrible strategy, and I promise you it will backfire.
It’s best to email the store with your book information, including your name, where you live, your email address, the book title, publication date, ISBN, a link to your website with information about your book, what the local target audience is, and how you plan to promote your book. Just dropping in to discuss your book is not usually a good idea, as most booksellers are incredibly busy.”
Show Notes:
Amy’s Bookcase: https://www.facebook.com/amysbookcase/
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