Most indie authors who self-publish print books aspire to see their books on the shelves of bricks-and-mortar bookstores, as an alternative to online sales. While it can be very challenging to do this effectively and at a profit, those who go about it the right way may well achieve their ambition, despite popular rumours that certain stores have a no-indies policy. So how do they do it?The route to getting your book stocked is fraught with difficulties, starting with not knowing the best way to approach stores of all sizes, from small indies to mammoth chains.
The Alliance of Independent Authors is releasing Your Book into Bookstores to help authors make an informed decision about why, whether and how they should pursue means of reaching more readers, and if they decide it's right for them, how to go about it effectively.
Your Book into Bookstores helps authors understand how the bricks-and-mortar bookstore sector works, and the best way to approach booksellers and their buyers with their proposition.
Providing a helpful general overview of bookshops past, present, and future, it offers practical advice and tools, as well as inspiring case studies from self-published authors who are already selling their books through physical bookshops.
It may also give you justification, should you wish it, not to pursue this route at all, but instead to focus on other routes such as online retailing and handselling – a choice that is validated by the experience of some leading indie authors.
This is the how-to book for authors who want to deal effectively with bricks-and-mortar bookstores.