By W. Terry Whalin @terrywhalin
I’m involved in a couple of online writing groups and no matter how many times you say it, there seems to be a broad misconception about self-published books. These books simply don’t appear in the brick-and-mortar bookstores.
Please don’t misunderstand me. These self-published books have their place in the market—particularly if you have a means to sell the books to individuals or companies. For example, if you speak often and would like to have a book to sell in the back of the room, you can easily get a self-published book to use in these situations. Just don’t expect to sell your book to bookstores.
Recently a well-meaning author celebrated his first printed book, which was self-published. He was holding it in his hand—always exciting. He was plotting a strategy to get his book in as many bookstores as possible and asking for help from other authors in the group. If you are going down this path, it shows a clear disconnect with the realities of the market.
Here’s a bit of what I told him. “Congratulations on your book release and I celebrate with you—but after more than thirty years in this business and over 60 books in print—and working as an acquisitions editor over the last twelve years—I am going to have to give you a bit of a reality check. You will struggle and find it almost impossible for brick-and-mortar bookstores to stock your self-published book. It’s one of those messages that the self-publishing places don’t tell you (they want to get your cash and get your book in their system). Yes, your book is listed on Amazon.com (easy for anyone to do) but getting it into the bookstores is a completely different story. I’ve been telling writers for years about the ease of getting a book printed—now getting it into the bookstores and ultimately into the hands of consumers, that’s a different story.
“Retailers dislike self-published books. Every retailer that I’ve talked with about this issue (and I’ve invested the time to talk with them) has countless stories about the difficulties of these books. They have re-stocking problems and problems with the quality of the products (typos, editing, etc.).
“Here’s the real test for you: go to your local bookstores and ask them if they are carrying any self-published title on their shelves. Go to the big box stores like Barnes & Noble or Books A Million as well as your mom and pop smaller independent bookstores. The answer will surprise you. I will be surprised if you find a single self-published among any of the thousands of books.”
We can’t say it often enough—the bookstore market is a closed system—that deals with distributors and large and small publishers. It’s why we work hard to get our books into the traditional publishing marketplace. It’s why you go through the effort and hard work to create an excellent book proposal or book manuscript or novel, then sell that idea to a publisher. Then your book is available in any bookstore—and can have the possibility of sitting on those bookshelves. It’s a free country and you can feel free to expend the effort and energy to market to bookstores and try and place your book. From my experience and others, it will be frustrating and likely not sell many books. I believe your marketing efforts are better served in other markets (outside the bookstore).”
No matter what I write, several of you are going to take the leap into self-publishing. Here’s several action steps if you go this route:
- Work with an experienced editor to create an excellent book.
- Work with professional cover designers and people to format and produce a book where every detail looks like something from one of the big five traditional publishers. This means including elements like endorsements and words on the spine of the book (including a publishing logo on the bottom of that spine). Many self-published books are missing key elements which become striking signals they are self-published such as leaving off the barcode or doing this code improperly (without the price).
- Keep working consistently to grow your audience. As I’ve mentioned in the past, work daily on your platform and reach your audience. You need to try new avenues to market and sell your book.
- Continue to learn all you can about publishing. Get a free copy of my Book Proposals That Sell and study the publishing insights in this book.
- Never give up on your book. As the author, you have the greatest interest and passion for your book. This statement is true no matter whether you are traditionally published or self-published. Always be looking for new opportunities to write or speak about your book.
This last point is something I try and model with my own books. For example, I continue to promote and use the radio interviews I recorded for Billy Graham biography which has been in print for about ten years. Each author needs to be actively telling new readers about their books—whether they are carried in the bookstores or not.
W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in California. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s newest book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com
The Conversation
Terry, Excellent post. Great advice and info.
Cindy,
Thank you for this comment and the encouragement.
Terry
Terry, thank you for getting a message across that writers hoping to enter the Christian publishing industry need to hear. I was in my late 60s when my first two traditionally published books came out. It’s worth the wait to go the traditional route. No matter how well they sell, you’ll have a name publisher in back of you, and the quality will be much better.
Maggie,
Thank you for this comment and your experience. It’s hard for every writer but they need to continue to work to find the right place to publish their work.
Terry
Mr. Whalin,
Thank you for your candid insight on self-publishing. I self-published a non-fiction, devotional type book last November, and plan to self-publish a short series of this book.
But I am sitting on a completed novel. I am struggling with self-publishing it, because I know what the results will be. Your post has helped me with that decision.
PS – Thanks for the ebook about book proposals.
Take care,
Chris,
Thank you for this comment and telling us about your self-publishing experience. It is hard and I know first hand because I’ve self-published one book. I encourage you to get help and explore your possibilities. I acquire some fiction books and maybe that would be the right fit. Don’t hesitate to reach out to me and let’s explore it.
Terry
In 2007 I ghost-wrote my pastor’s story and we shared the expense of self-publishing 50/50. I purchased attractive cardboard stand-up book displays and obtained permission to place one in every (unnamed) drug store in the southeast quarter of Ohio. Including our local sales, we sold 3000 books and recouped our expenses. I don’t recommend this method, but it was fun at the time.
Thanks for the article.
Candace,
Thanks for telling about your success with a self-published book. Well-done and not an easy path for any author but worked out well for you.
Terry
Hi Terry. First, it’s much easier to find indie published books in stores as long as you use a distributor other than Amazon. Many of us use Ingram for this reason. Second, though some bookstores do stock my books (and, of course, order them for those who ask), readers today shop online. So it’s not difficult o make indie books available widely to readers through many retailers. Actually, many of us have added direct stores for our buyers, as well, meaning we are paid daily. So if someone has a story to tell, there’s little reason to wait for an elusive trad contract that will likely pay a pittance when the means are available to start a writing career now.
Interesting insight. Thank you for adding it here. And if possible I suggest you change your log-on so we can know who you are rather than Anonymous.
Terry
Hi Terry,
I agree that it’s important to make sure that your self-published book has been edited, proofed, and has a professional cover. That’s why I prefer the term indie publishing–because it takes a team to create a quality product. I’ve worked with some of the best! However, it’s much easier to find indie published books in stores these days … as long as the author uses a distributor other than Amazon. Many indies use Ingram for this reason. (When I stop into bookstores, I’m usually asked if my book is with a distributor and I happily say yes!)
Second, though some bookstores do stock indie books (and, of course, order them for those who ask), so many readers today shop online. So it’s not difficult at all to make indie books available widely to readers through many retailers.
On top of all that, many of us have added direct stores for our buyers as well, meaning we are paid daily, rather than waiting 60-90 days for retailer payouts. It’s become a game changer for so many of us. And readers love the discounts we can offer them if they buy directly from us. In other words, indie publishing is not just for speakers! (I’m not a speaker but sell books every single day!)
Sure, if someone hopes to see their book on a bookstore shelf, it’s a great feeling. But know that shelf life is generally a mere six weeks (unless sales are brisk). If a writer is looking for a career, indie publishing is a great way to go because our books never expire.
Julie,
Thank you for these additional insights and your perspective.
Terry
Julie,
Interesting additions. Thank you, Terry
[…] still doesn’t mean they will order your book—the unfortunate truth is that bookstores don’t tend to prioritize self-published books. But a wholesale discount and returnability at least puts seeing your book on physical shelves […]