If you've been in a Barnes and Noble, Borders, Books-a-Million, or other big chain bookstore you've probably noticed that they have a lot of books. A whole lot. Unless your book can sing and tap dance right off the shelves and into customers' hands, do you really think you have a chance of selling many books through these places? Here are some facts about these chains that many authors aren't aware of and what you can do about it.
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Your Book Must Be Returnable To The Publisher
Yes, in order for your book to occupy a few glorious inches on the shelves of your local Barnes and Noble or any other big chain, your book must be returnable to your publisher. No big deal, you say? Well, suppose one of these chains puts in an order for five thousand books.
Although that sounds pretty great, it isn't when you look deeper. It doesn't actually mean you've sold these five thousand books. What it means is that it's available, right along side millions of other books, if and when someone happens to pick it up, like it, and buy it.
After a period of time your unsold books get sent back to the publisher, usually in pretty bad shape since they've been thumbed through or kicked around for awhile. How could you or your publisher resell them? You probably couldn't give away these battered books. The bookstore gets their money back and you don't get royalties on them.
Big Bookstores Get Deep Discounts
These chains get your book at wholesale, usually at a discount of 40% or more off the cover price. If and when you get your small royalty, which is around 5% to10% on print books, you're getting royalties on this discounted price, not the original cover price. Of course, some publishers may work differently, but this is very much the norm.
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