robertbevan
Troubadour
here's the situation... i recently got around to getting the paperback version of my novel, Critical Failures, made through createspace. i ordered a copy for myself, and i'm very happy with it.
i paid for the extended distribution, but i'm still waiting for it to even get up on amazon.
now i've read enough to know that it's tough to get indie bookstores to give an unknown self-published book any shelf space, but due to the nature of my particular book, i was thinking i might have a chance at getting space in a shop that sells RPG paraphernalia. (it's about gamers, and there's a big fat black 20-sided die right there on the cover.)
stop now and tell me if you just plain think it's a stupid idea.
having no idea how to even go about this, here's what i was thinking...
i'd purchase a box of 20 or so books, and get them delivered to my parents' house (we live in korea, we're on vacation here in the states right now). then i'd find ten likely candidates on the internet, write them each a letter asking them if they'd be interested in selling this book in their shop (and if not they can go ahead and keep the book, thank you for your time and all that), tuck the letter in the front book cover, and mail them out. i'm figuring this will cost me somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 bucks.
so let's say, for the sake of argument, that one of them bites. how does it work from there? having absolutely no idea, here's my guess...
1. shop expresses interest.
2. we talk about price. books cost me $4.64 plus shipping to order for myself. maybe i'd try to get seven or eight bucks per book out of them, and then they go on to sell it for whatever they like (i've got it listed for purchase at $14.99.)
3. they say they'd like to order x-number of books. and pay the appropriate amount of money into my account.
4. i place an order from createspace, just like i would for myself, but use the shop's address rather than my parents'.
5. i buy a small island and retire there.
how far off the mark am i? (not taking into account the island thing)
please be gentle in your responses. i'm claiming complete ignorance up front, so there's no need to call me a delusional idiot.
thank you.
i paid for the extended distribution, but i'm still waiting for it to even get up on amazon.
now i've read enough to know that it's tough to get indie bookstores to give an unknown self-published book any shelf space, but due to the nature of my particular book, i was thinking i might have a chance at getting space in a shop that sells RPG paraphernalia. (it's about gamers, and there's a big fat black 20-sided die right there on the cover.)
stop now and tell me if you just plain think it's a stupid idea.
having no idea how to even go about this, here's what i was thinking...
i'd purchase a box of 20 or so books, and get them delivered to my parents' house (we live in korea, we're on vacation here in the states right now). then i'd find ten likely candidates on the internet, write them each a letter asking them if they'd be interested in selling this book in their shop (and if not they can go ahead and keep the book, thank you for your time and all that), tuck the letter in the front book cover, and mail them out. i'm figuring this will cost me somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 bucks.
so let's say, for the sake of argument, that one of them bites. how does it work from there? having absolutely no idea, here's my guess...
1. shop expresses interest.
2. we talk about price. books cost me $4.64 plus shipping to order for myself. maybe i'd try to get seven or eight bucks per book out of them, and then they go on to sell it for whatever they like (i've got it listed for purchase at $14.99.)
3. they say they'd like to order x-number of books. and pay the appropriate amount of money into my account.
4. i place an order from createspace, just like i would for myself, but use the shop's address rather than my parents'.
5. i buy a small island and retire there.
how far off the mark am i? (not taking into account the island thing)
please be gentle in your responses. i'm claiming complete ignorance up front, so there's no need to call me a delusional idiot.
thank you.