Even with the internet and the many outlets for publishing nowadays, it’s still really a full achievement for any author to see his or her book in a physical, brick-and-mortar, traditional bookstore. This is even more so when the book is stocked across hundreds and thousands of bookstores nationwide. What makes this feat so greatly desired among book authors?
Read on to find out what placing your book in an actual bookstore can do for you.
Demonstrate Expert Status and Achievement
Writing your own book and placing it in an actual bookstore substantiates your expert status and implies that you’ve got something real educational, or entertaining, to offer to your readers. Learn More...
This also boosts competence and respect from fellow authors and professionals, most of whom are within your circle. Whether you’re writing fiction, a self-help book, a textbook, a children’s book, or a biography, your book is a mark of your ingenuity. You are a source of learning and inspiration both to your peers and to your readers. Having your book published and displayed in bookstores levels up your credibility and desirability, which may increase your chances of being invited as a speaker at conferences, seminars, and other author and book events. You also get a better chance of being approached to publish a book again.
Broaden Brand Exposure and Loyalty
The moment you get your book displayed in bookstores, you also boost your book's strong visibility and exposure. More importantly, you are potentially building brand loyalty. Learn More...
When you get your name out properly and honorably to the public by gaining a place for your book in a bookstore, you get more rapport and connection with your reader base, who would keep coming back to your subsequent books and your other resources such as blogs, podcasts, vlogs, and more. If you have started with these resources first, evidently, your book becomes the culmination of the expertise you have demonstrated through them. Getting your book published and placed in a brick-and-mortar bookstore makes you an established author in your niche.
Get More Exposure from Bookstore Publicity and Displays
Bookstores have unique and powerful ways to market your book. For the basics, bookstores host in-store events and also arrange book signing events. Learn More...
They strategically place books near the register, at the front of the store, on the endcap, or on a special table, which can significantly help the visibility and sense of availability for your book. Bookstores also put up book displays such as “Best Book of the Month”, “New Book Arrivals”, “Employee Picks”, “Best Local/National/International Books”, and others, which often draw more readers. Some of these displays can give chances even to underrated books and self-published, indie, or small-press authors to be featured.
Enjoy Co-Op Advertising
Some bookstores, especially big chain stores like Barnes & Noble, arrange for cooperative advertising (also known as a co-op). Learn More...
Instead of just the bookstores promoting the titles they want to feature, publishers also take part in the promotion through splitting the costs - either for print ads, store displays, and more. Publishers typically contribute 3-5% of their annual sales with select bookstores. They then nominate several books they published to be flamboyantly displayed in the bookstore’s prominent spaces.
Get Easily Featured in Indie Bookstores
Independent bookstores, also known as indie bookstores, are commonly single stores. As the name suggests, they are independently owned instead of being a part of big chain stores. Learn More...
Indie bookstores support new and local authors and give them a chance for their titles to be featured, unlike in big chain bookstores. These bookstores help local readers come together like no online retailer can do. Indie bookstores are also more closely tied to the local community. They can curate their inventory to satisfy the community’s needs and interests and they can also embody and promote community and cultural values. Books that explore these have a higher chance of being featured and supported.
Reach More Readers from Library and School Partnerships
Bookstores can also partner with libraries that are interested and equipped to host author events. Getting library partnerships is even more stable. Learn More...
They are commonly state-funded, which makes them actively seeking for titles and authors to draw more reader-patrons. Author events are not only beneficial to the author but also to the host, such as the library, for it brings more patrons.
Libraries also have partnerships with local schools and civic organizations that bring in more potential and interested readers. Libraries give more space for book or author events, often for free. Some libraries even have marques for author or book events for every passerby to see.
Bookstores, libraries, and authors send newsletters and email blasts that can potentially reach parents, students, and teachers. They also manage social media platforms and events calendar, which can give more exposure to your book. They can also feature or include your book in their recommended titles for their corresponding genre or under new book releases.
A Few Heads-up
The author’s dream of placing his or her book in an actual bookstore, however, is coupled with a huge financial risk. Apparently, a book only has 1% chance of being placed in a regular bookstore and the chance of it being sold out is not even guaranteed, especially for independent and self-published authors. Learn More...
When you get your book into bookstores, you also split your earnings with them and cover other costs for printing and shipping. It will hurt you even more if your books are not sold and yet you have to accommodate for their “returns” - an agreement that refers to your books being destroyed instead of being shipped back to you to save shipping costs. More importantly, bookstores opt to order from one or two distributors to accommodate just a single invoice for hundreds of books they order rather than a separate invoice for every publisher, which makes bookstores hardly buy books from authors individually.
Hence, taking the chance of placing your book in an actual bookstore must be done with plenty of pondering, such as assessing the demographics of your target readers, their buying behavior, the present and foreseeable future condition of bookstores and the community, your short-term and long-term marketing plan, and, most importantly, an honest evaluation of the quality and saleability of your book and your standing as an author. Your book should be well-edited and should have an attractive cover as well as an appealing blurb. You should also have a significant following and the scale of your network should be large enough. As an author, you should also have several positive peer-reviews and customer reviews from your previous works.
Indeed, “reading can change a child’s life. And the benefit of the printed word extends into adult life too.” Naturally, when a reader comes inside a bookstore to search for a good book to read, he’s thinking that there’s a perfect book waiting for him inside. This book could be yours! Books are important enough to deserve their own place in the physical realm. In the same way, your book is significant enough to be written and covered. Your book is a treasure that should be put in the place where it belongs.
