Sales platforms & indie bookshops
Consider your options.
Does your book have a title or topic that people may be searching for on Amazon?
Would you rather market and sell your book directly through your own website?
Online Marketplaces
Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (known as Amazon KDP)
Your Own Website
Squarespace (Website upgrade)
Woo Commerce (for WordPress Websites)
Shopify (Monthly Subscription)
Hybrid
Wherever you sell your book you’ll probably want a sales page on your own website.
You can do this even if you use an online marketplace.
This is a place to make the sales more personable. Share the why behind your book (revisit your notes from the “Why” module) and who it’s for. You can include videos, images, and reviews.
Then put a clear “Buy Now” button that links to whatever shopfront you choose.
There is a beautiful example from Katie Daisy here.
Or a simple approach from Austin Kleon (you’ll notice he links to Bookpeople and not Amazon.)1
Brick & Mortar
My first book has a tiny profit margin (due to being full color print on demand) so I have not yet explored brick and mortar for my own books. I have done a bit of research though and will share that here.
After recording this podcast I learned something important about bookshops.
Bookstores sell on consignment.
The way this works with traditional publishing is book distibutors offer the ability to return books that don’t sell. If you sell to a brick and mortar shop they might be more comfortable selling on consignment or with the option to return unsold stock.
In addition to independent bookstores consider small shops that sell gifts or wares from local artisans. Consider the topic of your book and think outside the box about shops that might be a good fit. You’ll make less profit from books sold in shops, but you will likely reach different readers who may not find you online.
How to Sell Your Self-Published Book to Bookstores
Book Distribution with Ingram Spark
Expanded Distribution with Amazon KDP
If you want to consider Book Distribution to independent bookshops (versus a personal relationship and purchase order with local sellers) I’d recommend reading So You Want to Publish a Book by Anne Trubek. She sheds light on some of the opaque elements of selling to bookstores through distributors (like delayed payments and the prevalence of bookstore returns.)
My research also showed many bookshops won’t consider stocking books with free Amazon ISBNs. This is something to consider and the reason I purchased ISBNs from Bowker. It felt like a worthwhile investment to have the option to be stocked in bookstores later on.
Festivals & Conventions
Many authors sell their books at book festivals or conventions that fit the theme of the book. For this you’ll need a way to take payments during the event as people (at least here in the US) rarely carry cash. Here are some options. Both are free.
Venmo (easy for people with the Venmo app)
Square Up Card Reader (take credit card payments)
Crowdfunding
Indiegogo (flexible goal)
Kickstarter (all of nothing)
Outside the Box
If you have a small following and want to self publish with the smallest overhead here are some options for you. These are less polished and professional, but they can do the job if you are bootstrapping your project.
Gumroad (Free)
Square Up (Free, but cannot fulfill digital products)
Etsy (Free, not ideal for books but good for journals or planners)
Substack (Offer your ebook or audiobook to paid tier)
My Experience
I started out selling through the Square Up free online shop. This worked well for physical books, but was not ideal for ebooks and audiobooks. At this time2 Square Up does not have the capability to automatically deliver digital products so I was having to send these myself.
Recently I upgraded my Squarespace website to include a shopfront. For me the investment was worth the peace of mind that my ebooks and audiobooks will be automatically fulfilled.
Let’s discuss.
Share your reflections or questions below.
What experience do you have selling your books? What platforms have you used? Have you ever been stocked in a brick and mortar shop?
Let’s have an open chat and share information below.
Bookpeople is an independent bookstore based in Texas. They sell self published books on consignment.
This post was written on December 16, 2023.
