Local Bookstores

[Cindy Jost]

I recently contacted 5 local bookstores and 3 have agreed to sell some of my books. One of them will take the book on consignment. Has anyone had any problems with this type of agreement...is there any other way? The other two stores are owned by friends so there isn't an issue.

www.freewebs.com/cindyjost

[Behcet Kaya]

Charlotte,
Where in Turkey is your bookstore in Turkey located? I am a Turkish-American author and would be most interested in having your store there carry my book, Voice of Conscience, by Behcet Kaya
thanks,
Behcet Kaya
www.behcetkaya.com

[M. Andrew Sprong]

Just make sure you get it in writing. Consignment sales are risky if the store has hidden costs, such as shelf space charges, etc. I have a friend in the SF Bay area who sold books on consignment for several months only to discover the store owner was charging her a quarterly shelf space charge equal to her expected receipts. If she had put the agreement on paper, then the owner would not have been quite so willing to cheat her. If the store owner balks at a written agreement, then don't do business with them, period. Let them rip somebody else off. A reputable store owner will gladly sign an agreement which describes all of the terms, while a crook will seek ways to keep it in the verbal domain.

On a similar vein, never connect the store owner directly with your publisher, perform all transactions as though they were between you and the owner. There are numerous reasons for this. Your publisher may not appreciate being dragged into an agreement they didn't make, nor will they care much for law suits should the deal go south.

Keep it professional, put it in writing, and act directly.
M. Andrew Sprong, author of "Haley Cork and the Blue Door"

[Christian Schaal]

Were any of these major chains? I was considering this just this morning.

[Sierra Night tide]

At my MeetUp I have a member who does fairly well. he is very active in several MeetUp groups, attends a variety of events surrounding his book subjects and always has at least 3 copies of his book every single place he goes. He's never afraid to talk about his book but does it in a that is constructive and relative to the discussion. In addition, he volunteers for speaker events and markets online.

Hope this helps.

[Echelon Press]

The only problem I foresee with consignment is the book sist on their shelves being handled, read and beat up, then when they don't sell, they are returned to you at your cost and you cannot sell them. This also happens with larger stores and distributors, but you might consider some kind of safeguard against getting a book back that someone in their store rips and they cannot sell.

Returns are an issue with any book sale, but consignment doesn't offer you any protection.

Karen
http://karensyed.blogspot.com

[Ellen]

True Karen, but if you have a clause in your consignment agreement about damages, then you're okay. Our agreement states that it doesn't matter how damages occur, if they occur while in the possession of said bookstore, then they are liable for the cost of the book.

Ellen

[Francis Hamit]

There are a lot of questions here which can be answered by some of the articles I've posted on Self Publishing Review (selfpublishingreview.com). Let me note that while it is hard to get a single book directly handled by Ingram or Baker & Taylor, there are small distributors who will feed your book to them, but there are also fees for that service. These distributors handle returns, billing, collections, etc. But not sales and not marketing and no promotion. Even authors at traditional publishers who are not brand names find themselves doing it themselves.

[ANDREA BAXCY]

hi!
I am working on a new delightful
children's book and I want for
a couple of my freinds at book
marketing network to help to
spread the word, before my
book is finished. It's called:
carmyn the loving centauress
bug. It would be a great thing
to let the bookstores know
too.
here's my website:[e-mail]
email me at:[e-mail]
I'd love to hear from friends.

[Margot Finke]

Yes, there can be problems with consignment books. A good idea is to get them to sign a receipt for them that states the number of books, the titles and the date left. Give them a specific time to sell them - say 3 months, And then go back and reclaim the unsold books and get paid for the rest. Offer to do a book signing for the store, to get things started. Contact the local newspaper and get them to take your picture, mention the bookstore's name and the date of the book signing. Provide the store with hand out flyers that promote the signing, as well as a large sign that goes in their window. Balloons for the actual day will draw attention if placed outside the bookstore.

Offer coloring sheets and bookmarks with every book you sell.

Hope this is helpful.


Margot Finke

Manuscript Critiques - My Books!
http://www.margotfinke.com
http://margotfinke.blogspot.com/
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[Denise Murphy]

My first booksigning was at a Barnes and Noble in Waterloo, IA and I was suppose to be part of the Author Panel that was having an event there that day but since my book was froze due to someone trying to sue me I was unable to take part in the Author Panel according to the bookstore. It turned out all right though as my book 'In Yahweh's Hands' sold more copies, had more people attend the booksigning and the store had to keep ordering in more copies. My publisher was basically useless and I had to do all the contacting with the bookstores myself. I walked in, found out who was the top manager in charge of booksignings and promotions and strong armed her into taking on my project. I have found that you have to be determined, not back down and hold your ground. If you get a really ugly manager who tries to walk on you let it be known that you chose her/his bookstore first but have an oportunity at their competion down the street if they don't want your business. Make sure your book is available for the event is vastly important, supply your own copies if necessary if the store will not purchase them and have handouts like magnets, bookmarks, mouse pads etc to draw bigger crowds and have rainchecks available with ways that customers can order your book if you sell out.

[Lisa Lickel]

I write for the inspirational market, and surprisingly, the local Christian bookstore was the one who wouldn't take my work for sale - just the one book I gave as a sample! If you can, get a couple of people to go in and ask for your book by name, or ask them to order a copy. That often gets some action started. For one store, I offered to buy back remaining stock after a certain period.

best wishes,
Lisa Lickel
lisalickel.com