Imagine that you are an author. You\u2019ve just received a shipment of your first published book from your printer or POD publisher. You admire your book, hold it, fondle it and do your best to keep from dancing around the room. Some of you do dance around the room\u2014I did. I even broke out a bottle of champagne. <\/p>\n
You head for the nearest mega-bookstore to experience the thrill of seeing your books shelved there next to America\u2019s bestsellers. You search and you search, but your book is nowhere to be found. As any savvy marketer would do, you approach the store manager. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he says. \u201cWe don\u2019t carry self-published.\u201d WHAT? That\u2019s certainly not what your pay-to-publish representative told you. In fact, as you recall, he claimed that your book would be sold in all major bookstores throughout the nation. <\/p>\n
Think about it, is that really what she said? Or did she say, \u201cWe will make your book available to all major bookstores throughout the nation?\u201d Translated, this means, \u201cIf a bookstore manager comes to us looking for a book of this type, we will be sure to tell him about yours.\u201d <\/p>\n
I meet numerous disillusioned and disappointed authors each year at conferences, book festivals and online. They are shocked to learn that bookstores will not carry their books and they don\u2019t know where to turn for sales. It might surprise you to know that even some of the small and medium-sized publishing houses do not have access to bookstores as an outlet for their authors\u2019 books.<\/p>\n
My advice to these authors is, \u201cIf the entrance to the bookstore is closed, go through the backdoor.\u201d I tell them, in essence, \u201cInstead of whining and griping, expend your energies making your book irresistible to booksellers.\u201d How? Promote. Promote. Promote. When customers come in droves requesting your book, bookstores will stock it. <\/p>\n
Demonstrate to the powers-that-be at Barnes and Noble and Borders that your book can attract hundreds or thousands of customers and they will carry it. Here’s how:<\/p>\n