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Why bookstores are a waste of time for self-publishers

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One of the most common questions I get from authors is “How can I get my book into bookstores?” I know many authors fantasize of one day walking into a bookstore and seeing their book on the store shelves. For some reason, many authors perceive bookstores as the be-all of book sales. They seem to believe that if their book is on the shelves at Barnes and Noble, magically sales will increase dramatically. I hate to dash the dreams of writers everywhere, but the truth is most authors shouldn’t worry about bookstores.

Let’s say you’ve done everything “right” in terms of self-publishing (which essentially means you haven’t used a vanity press such as iUniverse or AuthorHouse), and you’ve left out the middle man (which essentially means you haven’t gone through Lulu but have gone directly to the source) and set up your own publisher account at Lightning Source. Even with Lightning Source, which offers you access to the trade via Ingram (one of the largest wholesalers in the country that just happens to own Lightning Source), your chances of getting into chain stores are slim. Stores buy on credit, ordering hundreds of books and trashing or returning those that don’t sell—without paying a cent.

You may hear the comment, “Oh, we can only take your books on consignment.” Very tempting. I suggest you usually resist. Why? Well, put yourself in management’s position. If you have two books to sell—one of which you’ve already paid out hard cash to acquire and the other you have on consignment—which one will you push? Exactly. If your books don’t move, the burden to go back and pick them up is all on you. Hold a hard line on bookstore consignment—and you just might get stores turning over cash to purchase the books. (Of course, you will be expected to offer a 40 percent discount and give return privileges.)

Another reason to shun consignment offers is because it may get expensive—for you, the author. Author and blogger Michael N. Marcus recently wrote about just how expensive it can get on his Book Making site. He described what would happen if he were to go along with a consignment deal from a Massachusetts bookseller:

“A book costs me $4 to print (at Lightning Source). It costs me $12 to ship five of them to the bookstore, for a total cost of $32 for the five books. The book has a cover price of $16. If the five books sell, the store collects $80 and I collect 50%, or $40. The $50 administrative fee lowers the gross revenue on the five books to negative $10. When I deduct the $32 cost of printing and shipping, I’m $42 in the hole.

“If I invest in store promotion, I can lose up to $350 more.”

Yikes! So consignment might sound like a good way to get your foot into the door of bookstores, but it can be expensive and a waste of time.

As a self-published author, the only arena you can truly control is the Internet. This isn’t just listing your book on Amazon and waiting for the sales to roll in. You have to market your book. Social media, online reviews, blogging and guest posting, videos and book trailers—and all those things take time and effort.  So don’t waste your time on consignment arrangements at bookstores. There are plenty of other areas on which to focus your time.


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