danr62
Sage
One of the biggest problems for self publishers is the fact that it has been difficult to get their books into bookstores. In fact, I believe that until recently this has been one of the biggest reasons for chosing to go trad rather than indie. I just read a blog post by Kristyne Kathryn Rusch (KKR) on how this is all changing:
The Business Rusch: Shifting Sands « Kristine Kathryn Rusch
This is a pretty long article, so I'll break down the essential points:
Last year:
Obviously, this puts a huge risk on bookstores that order POD books. But earlier this year the two biggest distributors, B&T and Ingrams, changed their policies on POD books and now offer the same terms for these as they do for trad published books.
Please note, with CreateSpace, your book needs to be in the extended distribution program. LightningSource has a similar program, but Rusch doesn't know what it's called and I don't want to look it up.
Basically, what this means is that bookstores no longer carry any additional risk for ordering self published books than for trad published books.
In another article KKR argues that the best way to actually get your books into these stores is to build a fan base by publishing well written, professionally packaged books. This will gain you the word of mouth that can help you convince stores to order your books. I think KKR isn't a fan of marketing or approaching bookstores until you have several titles under your belt.
The Business Rusch: Shifting Sands « Kristine Kathryn Rusch
This is a pretty long article, so I'll break down the essential points:
Last year:
- Bookstores could order traditionally published books at up to a 45% discount could return those books for full credit (contingent on the bookstore having a high rating with the distributor)
- Print On Demand (POD) books could only be ordered at a 5% and no returns.
Obviously, this puts a huge risk on bookstores that order POD books. But earlier this year the two biggest distributors, B&T and Ingrams, changed their policies on POD books and now offer the same terms for these as they do for trad published books.
Please note, with CreateSpace, your book needs to be in the extended distribution program. LightningSource has a similar program, but Rusch doesn't know what it's called and I don't want to look it up.
Basically, what this means is that bookstores no longer carry any additional risk for ordering self published books than for trad published books.
In another article KKR argues that the best way to actually get your books into these stores is to build a fan base by publishing well written, professionally packaged books. This will gain you the word of mouth that can help you convince stores to order your books. I think KKR isn't a fan of marketing or approaching bookstores until you have several titles under your belt.