You’ve just published your book and have received feedback from your friends that they intend on buying a copy. It’s understandable that you want to contact your neighborhood bookstore, share the good news in anticipation of an invitation from the store manager to host a book discussion.
Here are 4 tips to help you secure an in-store book discussion.
The first order of matter is to talk with the right person at the bookstore.
Ask for the person who handles community events. Within Barnes & Noble that can be the CRM (Community Relations Manager) or often it’s the General Manager of the store. At an independent bookstore, there is usually a person identified as the coordinator of author visits. That person will want to know your ISBN number. This number (starting with 978-) is located on the lower right hand side of your back cover. These digits immediately inform the bookseller if your book is returnable and available within the Ingram system. If the answer is yes, then you can proceed ahead with your conversation. If the answer is no, then I’ll explain a few options at the end of this post.*
Secondly, the store wants to hear why your book is a good fit at this time in their store. For example, if your book is a science-thriller and the store is located near a high-tech or healthcare employment corridor, you can connect-the-dots between nearby labor force and probable interest in your book’s theme. You’ll explain that you’ll go the extra mile by contacting various companies to see if internal book clubs exist and if those companies would post your event in their break room.
Third, bookstores expect the author to drive traffic to local book discussions. Be prepared to explain how you will create awareness for this upcoming event. What communication tools will you use? Do you have a database of followers yet? If so, do they live in close proximity to the bookstore? If not, explain how you will post the book discussion event on various event sites as a way to drive traffic to the store. In summary, explain how your book is a good fit for this store and ways you’ll drive the right target market to this event.
Finally, ask yourself if it’s important for you to have a discussion at the store or would you settle for a spot of the shelf, without a lot of fanfare? Sometimes I use this second approach when calling on stores within cities where my author clients are visiting. Let’s say I have an author client who grew up in Missouri but now lives in Dallas. She is planning on visiting St. Louis. We may not have a critical mass of people to invite to a St. Louis book signing, because of the timespan since her childhood in that city. It probably makes more sense to contact the bookstore and focus our request for the manager to order a few copies with assurance that the author will stop by the store and sign them when she is in town on a specific date. The author will also post on social media that the books are in-store. This approach is reasonable and more importantly, you are communicating to the bookseller that you understand the business of selling books.
*Should your book be self-published with an ISBN number signaling copies are NOT available through Ingram, there still might be an option for you to secure a book discussion in-store. Approach the bookseller with the plan on how you’ll drive traffic and explain that you are willing to sell copies on consignment during that event. Some stores have consignment agreements for book discussion events. There is a split of revenue between you and the store and a check is sent to you after the event. You may not get your book on the shelf but there is potential to host a successful event during a specific time period with a win/win outcome for you and the store.
Let us know if this article is helpful in your journey.
