How to Place Self-Published Books in Indie Bookstores (by Tony Dincau)

I wrote this article to help New & Unfamous authors like myself help get their books in readers hands.

How to Place Self-Published Books in Independent Bookstores

 - Tips for New and Unfamous Authors �"

 

So, you wrote a book �" great news! Now what? Perhaps send query letters to literary agents and hope you get a nibble from a publisher. For the majority of us, get used to rejection, and the nibbles usually prolong the pain. Therefore, self-publishing to the rescue! A thousand dollars later, you have a book. If you sign up for a nifty social media marketing package and other bells and whistles through your self-publishing company, then many thousands of dollars later, you have a book.

Time to sell that masterpiece and get it in reader’s hands! Onward with Amazon marketing where dreams of many thousands of books sales, multitudes of positive reviews, and serving plates of sugar plums dance in your head. Then you awaken. Yes, there are some sales and even some reviews, some weeks are better than others, but overall the “new book” hype is largely supported by people who know you, and sales quickly dwindle.

And then book economics kick in. Let’s see, I spent a good few thousand making my book, and I get a measly 10% per book from big retailer and distributor sales (i.e. Amazon, B&N, Ingram) - wait a minute! I need to sell a few thousand books just to break even, while the average New & Unfamous Author sells 250 books total?! I quietly find a new fondness for my day job.

Maybe some professional reviews will help? They certainly don’t hurt, except for in the pocketbook, and that’s assuming you get some positive ones. But frankly, readers listen most often to their friends for book reading leads. Even Indie bookstore owners/managers aren’t too concerned if your book has professional reviews. I should know, after speaking with 150 Indie bookstore owners across the country while pitching my memoir to them, a total of zero asked me if I had a professional book review. However, when I brought up that my book had a few positive professional reviews, they often responded “Oh”, and I sensed on occasion that perhaps, just perhaps, that my book might have crossed the threshold of legitimacy with them.

So, how and where to turn…………………………..

Market to Indie Bookstores Far and Wide - A Noble and Fulfilling Path

Independent bookstores are economically challenged in today’s book world, having to compete with some ultra-giant discount retailers. After communicating with a plethora of bookstore owners, I’ve become a champion for their cause. These are wonderful folks, not only are they promoting literacy and local economic support, but they dove-tail it with community events. Their venues actually encourage human interaction �" complete with a mask and social distancing as per the times of course!

How do New & Unfamous writers get in the Indie door? It isn’t easy. Partly because most Indie bookstores are often contacted by swarms of authors. Partly because they have limited shelf space. And partly because their profit margins are thin, so they must be very selective. A difficult job. So, you must stand out!

How to stand out when marketing to Indie bookstores, a methodology from experience:

1)    Get Personal �" Set up book signings at their store. Most owners are fine with you spending two hours promoting your book in their store. Expect a 60% to you/40% to them split for a book sale. Do your signings on the weekend when there’s maximum foot traffic.

2)    Leave Some Behind �" If all goes well, sell them some copies to carry in their store. If not, ask for consignment, where you leave them books and they pay you as they sell. Set a goal of getting 5-10 stores.

3)    Branch Out �" Once you’ve established “a base” of stores, call other stores geographically near your base, and make your pitch. Eventually you’ll contact stores too far from you to warrant traveling for a book signing. To continue spreading out, you’ll have to place your book via phone calls and emails.

4)    The Pitch �" Your pitch must be succinct! IF you get the owner/manager on the phone, you have 15-20 seconds to raise their eyebrows. Briefly describe your book, tell them the stores carrying your book, tell them why your book is a good fit for their store, mention professional reviews, and conclude by offering an email loaded with information that should answer all of their questions. Get their name to personalize the email.

5)    The Ingram Test �" You’ll be asked if your book is carried by a Print on Demand distributor like Ingram, and likely it will be. The stores all get the same cut from Ingram on your book, which can range from 15% to 55% to the stores. If it’s 15% (my case), stores will be interested in doing business directly with you. If it’s closer to 40%, they’ll order your book directly from Ingram, which is their preferred method.

6)    The Email �" Include the following in brevity: One line about you, a book synopsis, ISBN#, mention positive professional reviews, list the stores with city and state currently carrying your book, your publisher, list price, and number of pages.  If you’ll work directly with the stores, offer that you’ll pay for shipping if necessary, ask if they’ll pay for your books up front and you’ll enclose an invoice, that you’d like to place 3-10 books to start, and that you’d prefer to stay off consignment.

7)    The Wait �" Most store owners will not get back with you. BUT, it’s not necessarily because they’re not interested. After 2-3 weeks email them again with any updates and follow it with a phone call. Don’t give up until they give you an answer. Be understanding, be polite, but be persistent.

8)    Santa’s Workshop �" If you’re doing business directly with stores, read on. All my books are mailed to bookstores by USPS. USE MEDIA MAIL. I initially bought a large number of books from my publisher, which kept my cost per book low. I can profitably ship 3 books or more anywhere in the country and still give the bookstores up to 40%. My net profit is 20-25% per book. Our kitchen table resembles Santa’s workshop at times with boxes, books and stuffing. It can be a fun family event!

9)    The Deal �" For those of us sending books, ask the stores if they do a 65/35 split since you pay for shipping. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the results.

10) The Check Back �" After 3 months or so, jingle the stores carrying your book to see if they need more. Likely they will not contact you if they’re running low on your book. Build a relationship that will last.

 

Are you a candidate to dive deeply into the Indie bookstore route? The effort that I described requires time and sweat equity, but it can be fun and rewarding if you have a marketable product and a healthy mindset. Here’s a few qualitative thoughts to aid in your overall success:

·      Make a quality product:  Poorly written, unedited, and weakly bound books don’t sell

·      Write your way:  Readers appreciate a fresh, new voice

·      Make an eye-catching front cover:  A book held is a book more often sold

·      Market personally and with social media:  Even great books struggle if readers aren’t aware of their existence

·      Know your audience & find your niche:  Even the best fisherman won’t catch fish if he keeps casting onshore

·      Learn about the book selling business:  After all, it is a business, and don’t plan on making big profits

·      Sell yourself, then your book:  A personable, genuine person sells. Period!

·      Build a relationship with Indie bookstores:  Interact with a win-win business focus

·      Put forth humility and respect, balanced with an attractive sense of self-confidence:  It paves a smooth path for all your book endeavors

·      Work with passion:  It’s the fuel to develop your best product

·      Be persistent throughout:  Water eventually carves through rock

 

Lastly, congratulations for publishing a book, especially your first book. It’s a bumpy path with lots of opportunity to quit along the way. Most importantly, you’ve created a long-lasting piece of work for your family and friends.

All the best,

Tony

 [email protected]

*Tony is a native Minnesota author, family man, and professional geologist. His first memoir, A Trout Fisherman’s Soul, is currently in 46 Indie Bookstores in 15 states on a direct business, non-consignment basis.

Author's Note

Feel free to add your thoughts, as this article is based on my personal experience, which has been bruising, challenging, but very fulfilling.

Reviews

[Peony96]

This is really insightful for new and young writers - thank you for sharing!

[Tony Dincau]

Thank you! I’m glad you found it helpful.

[Marina]

Congratulations on your book, Tony. Reading this piece just shows me how much extra work goes into getting some notice. The job is never finished at the final full stop, it seems. Sharing your knowledge here for others to be informed is an honourable thing on your part. Kudos for your generosity.

[Tony Dincau]

My pleasure Marina!

[Delmar Cooper]

Well thought out and well presented business plan. You make it clear that there is much more to writing than getting you story cleanly typed. This will be helpful to many writers. You are gracious to share your labor.

[Tony Dincau]

Thanks Delmar! Hopefully this information helps pave a smoother path for other authors.