We get many requests to carry books from both self-published and traditionally published authors. Here’s a run-down of commonly requested info.
I wrote a book. Will you carry it?
First of all, congratulations! Writing a book is difficult. We try to support as many authors as we can. That said, we simply don’t have room to carry every book. With so many self-publishing resources available these days, we receive numerous emails each week from authors interested in having us carry their books. We carefully consider if the book looks professionally published/illustrated and if it fits with our store customer base. Some genres simply aren’t in as much demand here as they are elsewhere, and we have to take this into consideration.
If your book has been published through a traditional publisher and we feel we have the appropriate audience for it, we will order it through them or one of our regular distributors on standard industry terms. If your book is self-published or not available through our regular distributors, or is only available on a non-returnable basis or without the standard terms, we may decide to purchase from you directly. If we decide your book is a good fit for our store we generally start with five copies, depending on genre, and reorder as they sell.
Books must be professionally bound with the title printed on the spine. (People won’t notice your book if they can’t see the title when it’s on the shelf.) The better your cover, the better your chances of selling a book. We use the standard 60/40 split for payment – you, the author, get 60% of the retail price if you provide your book directly to us. 40% goes to us. Pricing must be consistent.
Below is a link to our form for us to learn about and consider your book(s). Please do not show up with a copy of your book for us to review. We are unable to accommodate walk-in visits or telephone inquiries as when our doors are open we’re focused on helping customers, pricing and shelving books, and other day to day activities to keep the shop operating.
Do you have any tips for making my book successful in a bookstore?
To end up with the best product you can, a book to be proud of and one people want to read, we have some very basic tips:
Can I have a signing at your store?
We generally book our events 3-6 months in advance. If your book is already published and has been for some time, then the viability of an event is minimal. If you are planning to publish in the near future, then an event is more likely. Events can be just a signing, a presentation (if it is non-fiction), or a story time if it is a picture book. Events are solely at our discretion and availability. Fill out the form above and if we are interested in an event, we will get back to you.
If you have any further questions, please email us at orders@aaronsbooks.