Getting your book in the door

Booksellers and independently published authors; two roles that are vital to the publishing ecosystem. I’m lucky enough to have a foot in both worlds; I work as a bookseller at The Bound, Whitley Bay (part of Forum Books) and my second YA novel with Northodox Press comes out at the end of the summer. 

As amazing as the last three years of writing and selling books have been, I’ve realised that there is a definite disconnect between new authors trying to get their work into shops — especially un-agented or first-time authors — and the bookshops themselves. If your book isn’t backed by a large publishing house (with all the funds and manpower available to them) the book industry can be an obtuse and confusing place. This is doubly true for working-class and neurodivergent authors, such as myself. But fear not; I’ve compiled a list of helpful pointers to guide you along the process of getting your book stocked in your local indie bookshop.

Big trade publishers such as Penguin Random House and HarperCollins have representatives who visit shops and "pitch" titles to booksellers on their behalf. As an author, you will have to become your own rep. Have all the information you need ready in a document before you approach a shop – if you’re savvy enough to use Canva or Photoshop to make it look professional and appealing, all the better. This article from the BA is a wonderful resource for the nuts and bolts, but most booksellers will need your book’s retail price, the discount you offer (usually 40% for bookshops), an ISBN, and your publisher’s details if relevant. Being self-published means, in this context, that the bookshop will go directly through the author for their stock; do not send an indie bookshop an Amazon link: it is a red flag to a bull. 

The next part of your pitch is where you really sell your book; add your blurb, along with an "elevator pitch" into the same document. This is where the good old "X meets Y cliché comes in handy; for example, my novel Heretical was pitched as "The School For Good and Evil meets The Owl House". This helps a bookseller work out if your book is a good fit for their shop, and what would sit well beside it on a shelf. Also, fellow children’s and teen authors; know what age range you’re writing for, and add that in as well. Children’s publishing is a thorny beast, as we know, and bookshops sell very different books to very different kids.

Do not send an indie bookshop an Amazon link: it is a red flag to a bull

Now comes the scary part; approaching your shop. The best way to make this experience less terrifyingly awkward – for yourself and the booksellers – is to know the shop before you pitch. If you want a new book for yourself, pop in and pick the bookseller’s brains. If there is an event coming up that sounds fun, head along. Recently, I bumped into a local bookseller at a craft fair and, because we’d chatted for ages about Heartstopper and broken the ice, I felt more comfortable offering to email over my pitch. Bookshops are a community; join us!

When approaching the desk, bear in mind that the bookseller you speak to may not be the decision-maker for the shop – and that they might have four deliveries to process, two trolleys of books to shelve and 16 recommendations rattling around in their head at any given time. I would ask for an email to send your pitch to; then it can be digested thoroughly away from the busy shop floor, and you can introduce yourself and your book properly.

In this introduction, it’s helpful to mention if you are able to sign stock once it’s in store. A signing is just as exciting as an event or launch party, but usually much more low-key and informal. It’s also a perfect chance for both you and the bookshop to promote your book online. Make sure to follow, like, tag, and all those other social media buzzwords when you post about your visit, so that readers know where to find it.

To summarise: getting your book into an indie bookshop is a relationship building exercise, not a one-off hard sell. Thinking of booksellers as a part of the publishing ecosystem – much like yourself as an author – and not an obstacle to be overcome or potential customers to be impressed is crucial. Kindness, professionalism and preparedness are the name of the game, here. After all; you’ve worked on your book for so long; it’s worth marketing properly, with thought and care.