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

[Linton Robinson]

Well, I don't like consign, but I do it when I have to. As Feon suggests, part of the problem is getting them to see the book as an investment they need to move out.

If a book is selling well at an outlet I like to move people into a retail position when I can. "Hey, you're selling this thing really well. Instead of us having to keep count of the consignments, why don't you just buy (one, two four, what seems to work) to keep things simple."
I usually, especially with little outfits unsure about the book, will guarantee them. "If you don't sell those four in a month, I'll take 'em back." I've only had to do that once in like 20 years of selling my own books.

Also, I get much better sales in stores other than book stores. Part of that is the kind of book I have, but if you anything that fits into a non-bookstore environment, it's the only book there, usually right on the counter by the register.

[Smitty]

I have found that the smaller local bookstores are easy to deal with. Especially Christian bookstores for the Christian author. Consignments can be good, however you can also end up with a number of books with bent covers and pages from being handled and not purchased. It's wise to ask the store manager to showcase one book and keep the additional books off the shelve. Just a thought.

Some bookstores do not oder directly from the author and will not stock books that can't be returned. Having a return policy for books that do not sell always helps increase the chances of getting your books in bookstores.