How to Get Your Self-Published Book Into Bookstores

As an independent writer, you’ll face many challenges when trying to get your book into a bookstore. Most of the shelf space is usually monopolized by well-known, bestselling authors. A new author wanting prime shelf space will need to get a deal with a big publisher that’s willing to spend the money on advertising and marketing. Many self-publishing authors have ended up in financial ruin trying to get their work into a store.

Getting your self-published book into bookstores is a lot of work and usually has very little payoff. You’ll need to be your own marketing and sales team as you create a sales pitch and discount strategy. Since many bookstores order through wholesalers, you’ll need to get your book into some major wholesaler databases.

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How to Sell a Self-Published Book

You can take a few routes to sell your book. It’s tempting to immediately think about trying to get your work into a bookstore, but you may want to ask yourself why you’re looking to follow this route. You also have the option of selling online — and an online publishing company such as Palmetto Publishing makes the process easy.

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Difficulties of Selling Books to Bookstores

It can be very difficult and expensive to get your book on the shelves of a bookstore. If you manage to persuade some shops to take a chance on you, there’s no guarantee your book will sell. 

Displays and endcaps are expensive real estate in a bookstore and are usually reserved for bestselling authors or publishers willing to pay a lot of money for space. You also have to offer a buy-back guarantee — so if your books don’t sell, you have to buy them back from the store. 

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Benefits of Selling Books Online

There are many benefits and far fewer risks when self-publishing online. You don’t have to create a sales pitch or persuade anyone to list your book. There’s little to no financial risk, your royalties are bigger, and paydays happen more frequently. 

Another great benefit to publishing online is how fast your work gets released. Once you submit your work to be published online, it’s usually available for purchase within a few days or even hours. With traditional publishing routes, it could take years for your work to hit the shelves.

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Getting Your Book Into Stores

Getting your book into a store becomes a little easier if you experience success selling it online first. Make sure to create a marketing portfolio containing awards, positive critic reviews, and bestseller lists your book has been on. Being able to prove your book meets a demand and has an established following will give bookstores more confidence in your work. 

Ready to publish your book? Palmetto Publishing is here to help. We’ve been dedicated to helping independent authors publish their works for more than 30 years. Palmetto takes no royalties, gives you complete creative control, allows you to keep 100% ownership, and provides you with the tools you need to succeed. 

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