- Our client Gillian Goerzen has her book,
The Elephant in the Gym in book stores
and when we announced that the Canadian book store giant,
Chapters Indigo was going to carry her book,
we got questions, how can I get my book into book stores?
So if you're wondering
what makes a book store buy your book, stick around.
(upbeat rock music)
Hey, I'm Julie the book Broad,
award-winning author and founder of this fantastic company
that cares about authors and their success so much
called Book Launchers, seriously,
caring more than other companies do is our superpower.
Now before we dive in,
make sure you subscribe to the channel
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it's what all the cool kids are talking about.
I have to tell you, the day I walked into a major book store
and saw my book on the shelf was a really special day.
It's funny because I sell so few books through book stores
and yet, seeing my book on the book shelf felt real,
it made me feel like a real author.
So as a self-published author, you might be wondering
how do you get the attention of book store buyers
so your book can sit on a shelf
in your local book store or beyond?
First, important to know,
book buyers work through wholesalers.
I'm referring to Ingram, Baker and Taylor,
America West, Brodart, and smaller niche wholesalers.
Notice who's not on this list?
Do you see Amazon, or KTP anywhere?
There's no Amazon or KTP print.
Some local chain stores and independent book stores
will carry your book on consignment
so if you really want shelf space
and they won't deal with your wholesaler,
that can be an option
but it's kind of a pain from your perspective.
It also means that you're only getting paid
for your books after they sell.
So I recommend IngramSpark because then your book
is listed with the Ingram Content Group
which is the biggest wholesaler in the United States.
Now check out this video for a few important tips
like making sure you choose returnable
when setting your book up in Ingram.
Retailers only buy your book if it's returnable.
Now if you're not with IngramSpark,
you can apply to other wholesalers to carry your book.
Getting into a wholesaler is not that complicated
but you usually have to apply.
The hard part is showing the book buyers at the stores
that your book is worthy
of their coveted and limited shelf space.
The first place most book stores are going to look is Amazon.
If your book is not selling, then it's unlikely
a store is going to take a chance on you
so get your book highly ranked on Amazon as possible.
Then if you're pitching stores directly,
what you're going to have to do is show them
how you're going to drive demand
and even drive customers into their store.
This means planning book events, media attention,
interviews, speaking engagements,
show them that you have local promotions
that are going to drive traffic in their door to get your book.
Even better, show them that you're going to do this,
have your biggest fans go to the store
and request your book, or order the book online,
and have it shipped to the store.
That's actually an advantage to your customers
'cause they save on shipping and you get the attention
of the staff at the store, win-win.
It will be nice to think that local or independent stores
are going to support you but they have to look at the dollars
and cents for their decisions.
So if you're wondering about airport stores,
Costco, some of these other big retailers like Walmart,
generally speaking, their big space is for sale
so you have to have deep pockets to get it.
And then if you want other space,
you generally need to be one of the top 100 sellers overall.
They just don't have space for anything but those top 100
but hey, maybe your local running store,
or your local gardening store, or some other local shop
might carry your book.
If it's a fit for their audience, they just might do it.
Alright, you like this video, smash that thumbs up button
and let me know below how you're going to get distribution
or if you even care if a book store carries your book.
And if you haven't already seen this video
on the most commonly believed myths
around writing and publishing your book, check that one out,
or this dandy on things that will make a cover that sells.
Check out these really awesome videos,
they're all great, you're going to love it, just click it
and I'll find something cool to put up here
for you to watch (laughs).
(upbeat rock music)