Selling "The Social Event" in an Indie Bookstore?

After having written my book, and having sold the first one hundred copies, visions of bookstores danced in my head. I saw my cover, poster sized, plaster prominently as I entered Antigone, Mostly Books and Bookmans. Yes, even Copperfields Books up in my native Sonoma County had my book's image looming large upon entry. Each store had given me a couple square feet of table space (that's right, table!! Not lowly shelf) near the front. And they even placed a few hundred of those free promotional bookmarks I had printed up placed near the checkout. It was the closest thing to a wet dream I had experienced since my teenage years. 

Then I awoke.

The simple truth of the matter is that many single-location, independent bookstores have trouble making payroll their margin is so tight. If you're an indie author with a debut novel and no other writing track record, there is virtually no chance that an independent bookstore will want to buy your book and carry it in inventory - no matter what the price. However, if I am willing to absorb the risk and costs of my book occupying space in their store, there is a way. It's called consignment.

Typical consignment arrangements are a 40/60 split of the sales price, with the 60% going to me. Most, but not all, independent book sellers will not accept my book for consignment sales, however, if I can't meet the following basic criteria: 

• My book must look professionally done -- a high quality cover design, professional looking formatting and print quality, industry quality cover and page stock and industry standard size are a must. If I cut corners here it will show quickly.
• The subject matter must be acceptable -- this is subjective and up to the owner or book buyer to interpret -- I probably will not be able to get a wiccan book into a christian bookstore.
• A quick scan must reveal no glaring errors -- we all know what a well written, well edited book looks and reads like, my book must look like that.

What can you do for me?

If I do decide to trod down the consignment sales path I must remember, they're doing me a service, they don't have to. In return, I need to be driving business to their store. Every chance I get, I am telling people to go to that store to buy my book, or any book for that matter. Another way I might drive business to the bookstore is by donating a copy to the public library, or place it in a venue where it can drive readers to the bookstore. The “library shelf” at an indie coffee shop in town is another good place to leave a copy, or drop it into waiting rooms (doctor’s, dentists, and veterinarian’s offices make great sites). And put a big fat sticker that says, “Lobby copy - available at the Such and So Bookstore - Buy Local!”

So there are options. And, dreams can come true. Now, off to work, I have books to sell!

Books on a shelf... Waiting for readers.

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