Want to get your book into a bookstore?

Getting into a bookstore is a great thought, but there are things that go along with doing that that indie authors needs to know about.

This indie bookstore manager shares what she needs to see when looking at carrying an indie published book, plus info about what happens after it’s placed in a store.

And beware – if books are ordered by a bookstore and not sold after a certain period of time, they will be returned, which you will be charged for, even if you give Ingramsparks the direction to destroy any returned book. Asking Ingramsparks to mail any returned book back to you adds to the charge, and probably is more than the book is even worth. And who knows what kind of condition the book will be in when returned to you. You might not even be able to resell. So think carefully about when and if you want your book returned.

I had 6 of my books with Ingramsparks for over 10 years before I got any returns. Last year I had 2 returns. Before that, zero returns.

So how likely is it you’ll get returns? Very hard to predict, so best to just expect it.

And remember, a bookstore won’t return a book if someone comes in and asks for a special order of your book. They will order it and then sell it to the person who asked for it.

(Note: you have to have your book available through Ingramsparks for most bookstores to carry it, unless you have a deal with your local bookstore to deliver and remove your book in person.)

—————–

Award-winning indie bookstore manager Nicole Brinkley shares everything you need to know about getting your books into bookstores.

Source: Getting your book into bookstores: Powerful advice from an indie store manager – Build Book Buzz