How to Get Your Book in Bookstores

Guest Post by Allison Manning

In order for bookstores to stock and sell your book, they have to know that it exists, and there are a couple of ways that you can go about that. One way is to email or call the book buyer at the bookstore where you would like your book to be sold. 

Now that your book is written, edited, and published, you might be wondering how to get it on bookstore shelves so readers can find it and enjoy it! You might be under the impression that you need a publicist to get it in stores, but you don’t. A publicist wouldn’t hurt, but you can absolutely do the work to get your book in bookstores by yourself. 

Before you call or email, it is helpful to have the ISBN (if you have one), sales price, and date of publication handy. They may also want to see a picture of the spine and cover of your book. You can also stop in and introduce yourself and your book personally to local bookshop owners. 

Things to Consider

Independently owned bookstores or those local to your area may be more willing to stock your book than other stores. There are millions of books published each year, and every author would love to see their work on the shelves. 

Independent bookstores may be more receptive because they don’t have to cater to specific genres or author quotas. Local bookstores may be excited about having a hometown author featured on their shelves, and you may even have the opportunity to do a reading or book signing event. 

You should also consider whether or not your book is a good fit for a particular store. Does your genre and target audience fit with their customer base? Does your book’s aesthetic (binding, cover, pages) fit in with the other books that they stock? If not, it might not be the right store for you. 

Things You Need to Know

Bookstores are not going to be willing to stock a book that is exclusively published or printed by Amazon KDP or any of its affiliates. This is because Amazon is their (and most other retailers’) biggest competitor. 

If you want to see your work in bookstores, you will need to publish it through a distributor like Ingram Spark. Not only because Amazon is a competitor, but because the store will want any unsold books to be returnable. 

Bookstores also enjoy a 55% discount off the cover price when they procure it from a publisher. Any books that don’t sell within a few months’ time, typically 90 days, can be returned to the publisher at no cost to the store. 

Most authors dream of one day walking into a bookstore and finding copies of the book that they have written on the shelves. Realizing this dream is not impossible, but it will take some work on your part. So what are you waiting for? It’s time to start making phone calls and emails so that you can realize your dreams!