Every item sold in any marketplace comes to the final consumer through its own particular sales process or channel.
Traditionally, a typical book retail sales channel has involved these basic processes:
- A publishing house publishes the book
- The publishing company's sales force presents the book to buyers at various booksellers
- The booksellers sell the books to consumers
In the retail book channel, buyers at booksellers determine what books are available for consumers to buy by making decisions as to which books they will stock in their retail locations. Their decisions are based on their perceived potential for a given book. If they guess wrong, they always have the option of returning unsold copies after a given period of time. These are called returns. This mechanism limits what book products are created by publishers, as they need to focus their attention on books that retail buyers will buy.
"As an author, you can decide how important the retail segment is to the distribution of your book."
The internet and print-on-demand publishing, however, are changing the overall book selling model dramatically. With the level playing field of the internet, the convenience of at-home and at-work shopping, and no need to print and warehouse copies of new titles, any book has a viable opportunity to reach its targeted audience. Book retailers have been slow to adapt to the opportunities afforded to them with self-published titles. While this makes it more difficult to get self-published titles onto bookstore shelves, it is not impossible if you understand how the system works. As an author, you can decide how important the retail segment is to the distribution of your book.
Selling books to national brick-and-mortar bookstores such as Borders or Barnes & Noble can be a difficult task. Buyers for these chains can be inaccessible to individual authors. That doesn't mean you need to abandon your dream of seeing your book displayed on a bookstore shelf, however; you can make it happen, with some planning and concentrated effort.
Rather than trying to "break down the wall" to get national distribution through a large bookstore chain, your best bet is to start small and build your entryway one brick at a time. Many bookstores have an interest in carrying titles by local or regional authors. Begin your own retail efforts for this part of the book sales channel by visiting bookstores in your area. Try to arrange a book signing or reading event, either at the bookstore or at a local library, adult learning center, or other venue. If you can build local interest in your book, you're more likely to enjoy good local sales. When your book sells well through local outlets, it can gain wider placement throughout the national level.
"Independent bookstores frequently are more willing than "the big guys" to give new authors a platform for promoting their books."
Don't concentrate all of your efforts on the chain bookstores, however. Independent bookstores frequently are more willing than "the big guys" to give new authors a platform for promoting their books. Most have a loyal local following with a real interest in the work of local authors. Again, work with the stores to organize a promotion plan for your title, by arranging a signing, a book reading, a special sales promotion, or other event that can build business for you and the store.
If you are trying to get your book stocked with a book retailer, you must understand the concept of returns. To hold down their own storage and inventory costs, booksellers stock limited copies of individual titles that haven't yet "proven themselves" in the marketplace. To avoid being saddled with unsold copies, booksellers buy from sources that provide a returns policy. If bookstores know that they can return and receive credit for unsold books, they can confidently order multiple copies of books in anticipation of their sale.
A return program encourages bookstores to order your book and makes it easier to arrange book signings, since the store can stock up on extra titles, without fearing that they'll be left holding unsold inventory.