In this blog post, we will be considering whether it is worth getting your book into bookshops and libraries as a self-publishing author. It is always much more difficult to do this like this, rather than as an author working with a more traditional publishing house, but it is possible. However, it will require a lot of time and energy on your part, with no guarantee of success, so be prepared for a long job.
There are a few things you need to bear in mind before you even get to the publishing stage if you intend to get your book in bookshops and libraries. Likewise, there are extra things you will need to do after publishing, so it does add quite a lot to an already intensive process. We will consider both of these things in my next blog post, but we will start by asking whether it is worth your time to get your book into bookshops and libraries.
Advantages of Bookshops and Libraries
Credibility
One of the main advantages of getting your book into bookshops and libraries is the increased credibility this brings you as an author. For many people, physical books still add something that ebooks can’t. In addition, getting these books into a bookshop or a library can increase your reputation as an author. It is up to you how much this sort of thing matters to you; if you would be just as happy with an ebook, it might be best to stick with this.
Increased Visibility
Bookshops and libraries also help to make you more visible as an author. People can find your work just by browsing the shelves, rather than having to search through all of a category on Amazon, for example. This makes it a lot easier for potential readers to stumble upon your work without having to wade through all the ebooks available on Amazon and filter out what is good quality and worth their time.
There is also the fact that simply having your book in bookshops and libraries works as advertising for it. Even if people don’t buy the physical copy in the shop, they may then look for the ebook version later. This helps to build your audience, letting you reach readers you may not have done otherwise.
Diversify Income
Having your book available in bookshops also means you can diversify your revenue streams. You will be selling your book as a physical book in the bookshop, as well as presumably having an ebook available to purchase from online retailers. Not only will you be getting revenue from the two different formats, but you will also be attracting two different audiences. This means that if ebook sales drop, you may make it up in revenue from the physical copies in the bookshop, and vice versa.
Disadvantages of Bookshops and Libraries
Lower Profits
One disadvantage of selling your book in bookshops is the drop that you will see in profits. If you were selling physical copies directly from your website and posting them out yourself, you would not have too many overheads to deal with. You can work out in advance what these are likely to be and account for them in the cover price, if necessary.
However, if a bookshop is selling your book, they will not be buying it at the cover price – they would never make any profit! Instead, they will require a significant discount before they will even consider stocking your book, as they have overheads such as paying staff, heating and lighting the building, and any other costs. The bookshop will need to have some money left after these expenses to make a profit, so they may require a high discount.
Returning Unsold Books
In addition, any books that they can’t sell after a set period of time will need to be returned to you. Therefore, most agreements will be done on a sale or return agreement, meaning that they will return the unsold stock to you at the price they paid for them. Bear in mind that you will be responsible for collecting them, so you will either need to do this yourself or arrange shipping, which can be expensive, especially if you had not factored this cost into your budget.
High Standards
Another point is that your book needs to be as close to perfect as possible to be in bookshops or libraries, as it needs to still look professional among all the other books on the shelves. This is not necessarily a disadvantage, as you want your book to be polished anyway, but it does take extra time, effort and money on your part.
It is also absolutely essential that your book has an ISBN and barcode if you plan to have it in bookshops and libraries, as this is what enables them to keep track of stock. It also looks more professional. However, getting these for your book will require more time and expenditure on your part.
Wrapping Up
As you can see, there are both advantages and disadvantages of having your book in shops and libraries. If you do decide to try this, come back next week when we will be looking at some of the methods you can use.
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