So you have pitched your self-published book to bookstores and gotten the cold shoulder. Before you doubt your writer self and give up on writing entirely, Xlibris gives some reasons why bookstores may decline to stock your book, especially if you’re a self-published author.
Brooke Warner, publisher of She Writes Press and author of What’s Your Book?, has laid out five reasons why.
Most new authors assume their books are going to be carried in any brick-and-mortar store they go into; savvier authors who’ve been around the block a few times know that it’s not that cut and dry. And it’s only becoming harder in today’s publishing climate, as more and more books compete for less and less shelf space. And if you’re a self-published author, you’re operating at a significant disadvantage.
Here are the reasons why bookstores are wary of giving you shelf space:
1. Cutthroat competition
Becoming a self-published author means competing against the growing number of other self-published writers, plus the traditionally published and prominent ones. In order to get bookstores’ attention, a sales representative may provide the backing that you need.
The books that get the most attention are those that have sales reps behind them, meaning books that are tied into some sort of distribution model, whether that’s Random House’s own sales force, or a sales force that carries many publisher accounts (like PGW or Ingram Publisher Services).
Warner cites these criteria bookstores use to carry your book:
(1) being a local author; (2) having strong publicity backing your book; or (3) proving that you will bring in the readers/buyers.
Xlibris Publishing helps its self-pubbed authors get that coveted shelf space through the Bookstore Pitch Campaign, which serves as the imprint’s sales force or representative.
2. Insufficient or poor marketing
Writers fall short if they do not have a strategic book marketing plan in place. As a self-published writer, you have to devise this mostly on your own. If you think your toil ends after going through the stages of writing, perpetual editing, and finally publishing your book, yes, you’re right. The final, and possibly the most important stage, by which your hard work’s success is to be measured, requires a different tactic. This time, downing your nth cup of coffee and struggling to feel your characters may not have the same survival instinct urgency that has roused your muse and turned you into your most creative and productive self. It’s time to do the real hard work. You need to prove that your book is reaching the publicity it deserves to be considered for stocking. Visit the Xlibris Writer’s Workshop for a wealth of free book marketing tips.
More of this article is revealed on the sequel of this Xlibris Author Advice.
Get free self-publishing tips from featured authors on the Xlibris Blog and the Xlibris Indie Authors Roundup.